Prawn and Spinach creamy pasta

You know those days when you don’t want to spend £6.00 on a ridiculously overpriced meal in Central London, but then you also don’t want to wake up early to cook? If you can relate, then this recipe is for you!This year, I’m making a more conscious effort to save money and cook where I can. However, during the week after work I’m always almost too tired to cook. So I’ve been exploring how to make some quick but delicious dishes. This week’s dish is a simple pasta recipe, which shouldn’t take any more than 20 minutes to prepare.Hope you enjoy!Essie Eats xo

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Knife
• Frying pan
• Chopping board
• Sieve
• Kettle

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion
• 2-3 handfuls of chopped spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 red pepper (sliced)
• 100g (or handful) Pancetta
• 100g (or handful) King prawns
• 75ml double cream
• 123g (or 2 handfuls) of pasta
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Chicken Knorr cube or any All-purpose chicken seasoning you have
• 1 tsp chilli powder (it’s 8am in the morning-you do not have time to chop chilis)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder

STEPS

Preparing the pasta (This section is for those of you who, due to procrastination, left everything until the morning – do not fret!)

1. Boil some water in the kettle, then add enough to the pan to cover the pasta. (Tip: Use a frying pan instead of a saucepan, it’ll cook much quicker).
2. Cook this for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente (firm). Then drain.

 and the rest….

1. While the pasta is cooking, heat the frying pan. Then add the pancetta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until crispy. No need to add oil, as there is enough oil from the pancetta.
2. Now add the onions, chilli powder, garlic powder and salt. Then add the spinach, red peppers and chopped tomatoes.
3. Stir in the double cream, then add any seasoning if needed, for taste. Now leave to simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Finally, add the prawns last. (Tip: this is only if the prawns are pre-cooked as you don’t want it to overcook). If they are raw, then add the prawns before the cream and leave to cook half way).
5. Leave to cook for another five minutes, then pour into a container and then leave so you’re not late for work!