Pine Nut Penne

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes, or until golden (watch they don’t burn!). Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.

Add the penne (use the suggested amount) to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until ‘al dente’. TIP: Be sure to add the correct amount of penne in order for your dish to be perfectly balanced, just the way we planned it! Reserve 2 tbs of pasta water and set aside for later. Place the baby spinach leaves in the base of a colander. Drain the pasta into the colander over the spinach and allow the spinach to wilt. Return the pasta and the spinach to the saucepan.

While the pasta is cooking, return the large frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs of olive oil and the bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until browned. Add the green beans and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.

Slowly add the cooking cream and the reserved pasta water to the pan with the bacon. TIP: Adding starchy pasta water helps the creamy sauce bind to the pasta. Stir to combine. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Add a pinch of salt and taste your sauce. If you can't taste all the flavours add a little more until you can. Pour the creamy sauce into the saucepan with the pasta and spinach. Add 1/2 of the basil (reserve the remaining for the garnish) and stir to combine.