Lemon Arugula Cacio e Pepe

• servings: 4 (or 2 large servings)
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Salt

12 ounces of spaghetti

1/4 pound of diced bacon

1/4 cup of of extra-virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1.5 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

3 cups of baby Arugula, chopped

Directions

- Add pasta to a large pot of heavily salted and boiling water. Cook the pasta to al dente (follow package instructions if using dried spaghetti). Reserve approximately 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

- While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large pan or skillet, cooking over medium-high heat until the bacon begins to brown. This should take about 7-10 minutes. If you prefer crispier bacon, let it cook for a minute or two extra.

- Add the olive oil, black pepper, red pepper, and the garlic. Mix the ingredients and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

- Add the lemon juice, cooking for about 30 seconds to a minute before adding in the pasta. Toss the spaghetti to coat.

- Begin mixing the cheese into the pasta in small batches, about 1/3rd at a time. Add small splashes of the pasta water before adding any more cheese. The goal is to create a creamy sauce by using the pasta water to emulsify the cheese rather than melt it. Make it a little more liquidy than you think necessary- once it is on the plate and cools off, it will thicken up more.

- Add the arugula, mixing well to fully incorporate it throughout the pasta. Add salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste and serve with additional cheese.

Notes

The dish has a little bit of spice to it, but it is muted by the cheese and oil/fat quite a bit. If Megan Dignan can eat it, so can you!