Holy smokes do I love this meal.
My love for Chrissy Teigen goes way back. When my husband and I were dating – he went with a friend to Miami for the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Party – we weren’t really dating that long when he asked me: hey can I go to this party, some time in February, dates are unclear, may miss your birthday…We were vibing so well that I said yea sure, whatev – but when he got there I was like hmm… well I mean, we said we were exclusive, right? I’m not gonna get all worked up over a bunch of supermodels hanging with my BF, right? Long story short this awesome guy who became my husband knew how much of a GIRL CRUSH I had on Chrissy Teigen and he went right up to her and told her how great I thought she was – he sent me a video of her saying: HEY HILLARY, WHERE ARE YOU?! I almost fell out of my chair at my cubicle!
Fast forward a couple years and Chrissy put out one of the BEST COOKBOOKS OF ALL TIME (Kanye voice) – and now there is a second! I haven’t mentally prepared for all the deliciousness in there so I have yet to purchase, but this winter when I need something to brighten my day I am going to order it right up.
Cacio e Pepe was one of the first recipes I tried. As I was making it, the smell in our kitchen was so amazing I knew we were on to something…I took that first bite and it was ON.
NOTE: Chrissy’s recipe is SPICY! I toned down the spices a tad below… one time I made it and my eyes were watering it was so spicy, but that still did not stop me from eating it.
This is absolutely my favorite pasta dish, only behind Denny’s (my dad) Sunday Gravy (Italians from South Philly call it GRAVY – but it’s really a red meat sauce – a story and recipe for another day)
Recipe below:
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti
- 1/4 pound (about 3/4 cup) pancetta or bacon, finely diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (about 4 big cloves) minced garlic
- half teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- 3 cups baby arugula or baby spinach
DIRECTIONS
- In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti to al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (it comes in handy), then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the pancetta over medium-high heat until crisped, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the olive oil, then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the lemon juice to the skillet, then toss in the drained pasta and toss to coat. Add the Parm and toss, adding the pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, just to help the cheese coat the pasta. Add the arugula or spinach and toss until it wilts, about 1 minute. Season to taste with additional salt, lots of black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve with more Parm.