Bacon Tomato and Spinach Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 10 oz. dry spaghetti
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup slighlty packed finely shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz. bacon, diced
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 6 oz. baby spinach, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil for the spaghetti. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tsp pepper until they look smooth and evenly combined. Whisk the heavy cream and parmesan cheese into the eggs, then set the bowl aside. Set a large non-stick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and cook the bacon, stirring now and then, until it is just crisp, about 5 – 7 minutes. Move the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, keeping about 2 Tbsp of the drippings in the skillet.
2. Stir the onions into the drippings and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the spinach, cover the skillet, and cook, tossing the mixture occasionally, until the leaves just start to wilt, about 2 minutes longer. If they are not fully wilted, don’t fuss; they’ll soften more once they meet the spaghetti.
3. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti until just al dente, following the package directions. Before you drain it, scoop out 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water. As soon as the spaghetti is done, make sure the egg mixture is close by, because it needs to go onto the hot pasta to help cook the eggs.
4. Whisking the whole time, slowly stream the reserved 1/2 cup hot pasta water into the egg mixture. Put the drained spaghetti back in the empty pot and set it over medium-low heat. Pour in the egg mixture, then cook and toss without stopping until the sauce thickens a bit, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomato mixture and bacon to the spaghetti. Keep cooking and tossing until the sauce clings to the noodles, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt to taste, then toss in half of the basil. Serve warm with the remaining basil and more parmesan.