Pasta Carbonara Florentine

Mmm...like Pasta Carbonara, but with some color! The spinach goes wonderfully. The whole family loved it and didn't even pick out the spinach (until they weren't as hungry). This is a quick, easy meal to make, especially if you have the ingredients close by when you start cooking. Be careful not to overcook the pasta once you add the eggs---you don't want to scramble them!

The recipe calls for 6 slices of bacon. If you use local, farmers' market bacon, you only need 3 slices. I have found farmer's market bacon to be thicker, longer, meatier slices. It is divine. Now that I've found bacon I love at the farmers' market, I buy 2 pounds at a time, whenever they have bacon. (The farmer I buy from only has bacon right after he slaughters a pig and it sells out fast). Bacon....I am salivating just thinking about it!

Pasta Carbonara Florentine
1/2 t salt
1/2 lb spinach, coarsely chopped
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 c onion, finely chopped
2 T dry white wine
8 oz uncooked spaghetti or cappellini
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 t black pepper
2 large eggs
3 T fresh parsley, chopped

Cook 1/4 t salt and spinach in warmed olive oil in a large skillet. Cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Remove spinach and set aside. Cook pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling water. Drain, reserving 1 T cooking liquid. Meanwhile, add bacon to skillet and cook until crisp, stirring frequently (you can also cook the slices and crumble it after it is cooked instead of chopping it before hand). Remove bacon, reserving 2 t of bacon drippings in pan. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add wine, cook 1 minute or until liquid is reduced in half. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid, spinach, and bacon to the onions, stirring well to combine. Place over low heat. Combine remaining salt, cheese, pepper, and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Add to pasta mixture, tossing well to coat. Cook 1 minute or until egg is slightly cooked (not scrambled egg consistency). Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley.