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If you have a child of any age, you know that spaghetti is a staple food dish within the family dynamic. I don’t think I can go two weeks without making it at least once. Then, of course, there’s leftover spaghetti to eat for the week. With this said, it gets tiresome, and I crave more options. That is exactly what this blog’s recipe is– another option. Chrissy Teigen’s Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe is the perfect recipe to switch things up on any given night. To test this, I made the recipe three separate nights: on a weeknight, for a date, and for friends at a house party.
As a mom, I think the best thing I can say about this recipe is that the ingredients, with the exception of the arugula, are every-day products that I always have in my fridge. This means I can make it any night without having to plan for it. This is a dream come true as I am a terrible planner. On top of this, this recipe was so quick and easy. The estimated time of 25 minutes was correct. If anything, I had extra time to spare. However, during the three times I made this recipe, I learned something in terms of making it tastier, quicker, and childproof.
Here are my tips: Instead of using pasta water, use 1/4 cup of heavy cream or milk (unless you’re dairy-free). Also, cutting the bacon prior to cooking it allows for uniform pieces and an even consistency throughout the pasta. I’m also one of those moms who says “screw it” to measurements, so just go ahead and grate a whole wedge of Marco Polo Parmigiano Reggiano and pour it in or dump the whole bag if you bought it pre-grated. Lastly, you might want to dump out about half of the bacon grease before adding the lemon juice mixture; have some mercy on your arteries. In terms of making this recipe childproof, it’s incredibly easy. Remove the one teaspoon of red pepper flakes. If you want the spice for yourself, I later added the flakes as a garnish and mixed them in. I promise you and your children will love this recipe.
Don’t forget to save the leftovers; it heats up great! Until next time, happy eating.
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