Pasta with Pecorino cheese cream and crispy Guanciale bacon

• 5 minutes to prepare •  15 minutes to cook  • Serves 4

10 MINUTES

Gather round.  It’s time that we have a heart-to-heart today about one magical pasta recipe that’s among the nearest and dearest ones to me.

As any of you who follow me know, I have a bit of a thing for Pecorino cheese. I always have it in my fridge.  Usually I eat it as soon as I come back home, cutting a piece for me and one for Nina, while she hugs my legs — a combo that we wholeheartedly recommend. 

It often ends up in a recipe, too. Usually on whichever day of the week feels the craziest, since it’s easy to whip up in any pasta dish and it adds flavour to any ingredient that we have on hand.  And usually — well, let’s make that always — it totally hits the spot.

Anyway, today it's the turn of another add-a-little-of-this-then-maybe-a-little-more-of-that kind of meals.  This week, I added some crispy guanciale and some fresh thyme to the mix. To enhance Pecorino's soft consistency, I melted it in some cream.
I hope you enjoy!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:
 

320 g Spaghetti pasta
150 g well-seasoned Pecorino cheese
150 g cream
200 g Guanciale bacon

thyme
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Pour 2 tablespoons of EVO oil in a pan and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the Guanciale bacon, chopped
2. Once they have become golden, let it drain on paper towel 
3. Prepare the Pecorino cheese cream:  grate the cheese and melt it into the milk cream over low heat. Add freshly ground pepper according to your taste
4. Meanwhile, cook the Spaghetti pasta in boiling salted water
5. Drain Spaghetti pasta al dente. Add pasta and Guanciale bacon to the Pecorino cheese sauce and season it with salt - if needed - according to your taste
6. Serve with some thyme and freshly ground pepper on top

Nutrition Facts of this dish are right below. Data is provided per serving.