Pan fry: eggs, pasta, thyme, bacon, and zucchini
Can you make a meal out of this?
For your protein, veggies, and carbs, try this combination: eggs, zucchini, and pasta. Add flavor and character to the meal with thyme and bacon.
Whether you use the ingredients to create multiple side dishes or a single main dish is up to you. But pan fry at least one of the dishes.
Zucchini Carbonara
A simple, delicious classic.
Prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 medium green and yellow zucchini
- 1 pound penne
- 4 large free-range or organic egg yolks
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 12 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into pieces
- A small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)
- Optional: a few zucchini flowers
Instructions
- Boil a large pan of salted water, add the penne to the pan, and cook according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size as the penne.
- Put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and combine with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large frying pan, add a splash of olive oil, and fry the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Add the zucchini slices and season with black pepper. Add the thyme leaves, then stir to coat the zucchini in the oil, and continue to sauté until softened.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve some of the cooking water. Immediately toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and the creamy sauce. Stir together quickly.
- Sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. If you're using zucchini flowers, tear them and add on top as a garnish.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.