Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2009

This was wonderful. I used pancetta from a little Italian market around the corner. Claudio sliced it in thin slices. I wasn't sure how that would work but it actually dispersed the meat throughout the pasta better than diced. As some of the other reviewers suggested, I added sliced garlic to the pancetta while it browned. I also added more spinach to the 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes. My husband agreed that 1/2 tsp. would be too much. Farfalle was our pasta of choice. All those little nooks & crannies held the sauce. A whole pound was perfect. I don't know how 1/4 pound per person would be enough. We didn't need any of the pasta water. The dish was perfect without it. I hate to say it but seconds were in order for both of us. This was a perfect summer night dinner. The pasta with a light salad & French bread was very satisfying. Of course, we can't forget our wonderful Sonoma County wine.

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nana2

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Healdsburg, California, USA

Living In: Santa Rosa, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 7, 2009

This turned out just lovely. I used my own homemade pancetta, this was the first dish I made with it. I did double the ingredients, accept for the red pepper flakes. I also only used 3/4 lbs of linguine. The husband said it was restaraunt worthy and we're already arguing over the leftovers!

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WifeofRiley

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Reviewed: Mar. 11, 2009

We will definitely make this again, with a few modifications. I halved the amount of the pasta and that was perfect. The red pepper gives it a real kick that you can feel in the back of your throat - almost too much. Changes I will make include: decrease by half the red pepper flakes, double the spinach, add halved cherry tomatoes and use smaller noodles, such as bow tie or at least break the noodles in half before cooking.

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Amy S

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Sacramento, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2009

I really liked this recipe. It was really salty because I salted the pasta. I don't think I'd do that again because the Pancetta was salty enough. I used four cups of spinach and half a box of pasta. I agree with others that a whole box would have been far too much. YUM.

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milosmom

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Bainbridge, Georgia, USA

Living In: Tallahassee, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2008

really did not like this one...

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MONA1117

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Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2008

Really tasty recipe. I was a bit worried it would taste "watery" but nope, really lovely.

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SuzieSmyth

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Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2008

This was quick and easy to make. My fiancee loved it, although I though it need a little more flavor.

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Mtcrloss87

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: Hatboro, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 8, 2008

Good recipe. If you use the pound of pasta, you will need to at least double your other ingredients. To make this a stand out dish, use fresh pasta instead of dried. Fresh can usually be found in the refrigerator section of your store. Remember that fresh pasta requires very little cooking time, about three minutes or so. Shaved or grated hard boiled eggs are good, but you can also take raw eggs, scramble them up, and pour into the hot pasta, to cook. Or you can just scramble them in a skillet and cook if you are afraid they won't get cooked enough. I would say if you use raw and put into the pasta that you know your egg source and how fresh they are.

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mermaid

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Coupeville, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2008

Good recipe, I too added onion and used less pasta. Quick, easy, and tasty!

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Lisa

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Campbell, California, USA

Living In: Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 5, 2008

For 2 people we ended up using an entire package of pancetta (3 oz), 2 eggs, 4 cups of baby spinach, since the pancetta & spinach really do shrink up in size. I added some minced garlic & some onion powder for more flavoring. My bf really enjoyed this flavorful & light pasta dish!

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WANSHAN

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Riverside, California, USA

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2008

Really wonderful, very northern-Italian dish. Not too fussy, full of flavor. I added a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper.

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lindypepper

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2008

This was sooo yummy! Per member reviews I cut the pasta in half, a whole package would have been way too much. I used a bit more spinach and pancetta, and added a little more oil and a little pasta water so it wasnt so dry. Came out excellent! I love how the crushed peppers give it just a little bit of heat but nothing overbearing. The flavors mesh together perfectly, never would have thought. This is definitely a keeper :)

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VioletHaze

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: London, Greater London, England, U.K.

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Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2008

Very good! I would add a bit more spinach.

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ek-p

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Reviewed: Jan. 24, 2008

My family LOVED this!!! There were no leftovers the night that I made this - and I have been asked to make it every week! I did make a few adjustments, though: I doubled the pancetta and spinach, and instead of adding hardboiled eggs, I cracked two eggs over the hot combined ingredients letting the heat from the pasta cook it as I stirred. It tasted absolutely sinful.

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pink_fortitude

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Reviewed: Apr. 15, 2007

This was a very unique pasta dish, we really enjoyed it! As suggested, I halved the amount of pasta. I also added a tablespoon of garlic and a medium white onion, thinly sliced. Next time I will add more red pepper to give it a bit more zing.

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Sara

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Roanoke, Virginia, USA

Living In: Pulaski, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 13, 2007

I've tried this recipe twice, trying to decide if it's a keeper. I've cut the pasta in half, a dash of red pepper, increased the spinach, added fresh mushrooms and used a summer sausage because I couldn't find the pancetta. With those changes it's pretty tasty.

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Laurie618

Home Town: Petaluma, California, USA

Living In: West Jordan, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2007

This recipe was very disappointing. I loved the idea of this combination of ingredients, but it came out very bland. The red pepper flakes overpower the subtle flavors of the other ingredients. I also felt that it was missing something (flavor?). Another reviewer suggested sun dried tomatoes which probably would be good, but it seems like the other ingredients would not be necessary if you added any other strong flavor. I will not make this again.

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Amanda123

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Reviewed: Sep. 14, 2006

What a great and easy recipe. Loved the taste of the hard boiled egg in this. BUT - I used only 8 ounces of Penne Pasta and the sauce mixture was just perfect for this amount of pasta. I think with 1lb the mixture would have been lost. I will double the mixture recipe if I ever use 16 ounces. Didn't change a thing otherwise and it was awesome.

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