Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian recipe that combines bacon, cheese and cream with pasta to make a creamy sauce. Needless to say, this healthy alternative has no cream, but manages to maintain basic flavours of carbonara, but without the calories!
If you prefer, you can substitute the cooked bacon for cooked chicken, cooked prawns, smoked salmon or even mixed veg or mushrooms. 

The following recipe will coat 120g cooked pasta and serve two people.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pint of boiling water
• 1 chicken stock cube. (Or better still, low sodium stock cube). Crumbled
• 30g parmesan cheese. Finely grated
• 1 medium egg yolk. Lightly beaten

• a good twist of black pepper and a little salt if needed
• 2 slices of bacon. All fat removed, grilled and sliced
• Fresh or dried parsley to garnish

Method

1. Bring the water to the boil over a high heat and add the stock cube. Stir to make sure it's combined. Add the pasta and return the pot to the boil. Allow it to bubble away for 10-12 minutes. (The pasta should be underdone slightly).
2. Drain the pasta in a sieve or colander, but keep approximately 100ml of the stock for the sauce.
3. Return the drained pasta to the pot and add the 100ml of stock.
4. Remove from the heat and add the cheese and beaten egg yolk. Return to the heat, stirring constantly. 
5. Let the sauce thicken and reduce slightly for a minute or so. (If the sauce is a little watery, add a little more parmesan).
6. Add the pepper and transfer to warmed plates. Add the bacon and garnish with the chopped parsley.