Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

You know those days where nothing seems to go right - where you get a huge unexpected bill, a major appliance breaks, and a piece of siding falls off your house?  Just me?  Anywho, I was having one of those on Monday {ah, homeownership} so instead of freaking out too much {ok, there was a minor freak out} I decided to pour myself a glass of wine and cook a big bowl of comfort food - pasta.  Luckily, I had all the fixin's for Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe from Cravings, the hilarious and super delicious cookbook by Chrissy Teigen and a big bowl {ok, maybe two} of that delicious and simple pasta paired with a big glass of rosé made me forget my worries for another day.  Now, if only I could find a winning lottery ticket.....

Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients
Salt
12 oz dried spaghetti
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, finely diced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for topping
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
3 cups baby arugula

Instructions
1. In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions.  Save 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until well crisped, about 7 minutes.  Add olive oil, then garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add lemon juice to skillet, then mix in the cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Add the cheese and toss, adding pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to help cheese coat pasta {you probably won't use all the water}.  Add arugula and toss until it wilts, about 1 minute.  Season to taste with additional salt, lots of black pepper, and more Parmesan.

Serves 4

adapted from Cravings

xoxo,
stephanie marie