Brussels sprouts are beautifully complimented by smoky, salted bacon or ham. Just think of buttery sprouts pan fried with pancetta lardons on your Christmas lunch! This creamy and comforting carbonara is quick and easy to put together, with only a few fridge essentials. The addition of Brussels sprouts adds a wintery twist as well as helping you to get one of your five a day!

Serves: 2

Cooks in: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

140g smoked ham, sliced into strips

250g Brussels sprouts

200g spaghetti

3 egg yolks

150ml single cream

50ml milk

25g grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve

15g crushed walnuts, to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil and boil a large pan of salted water. Halve and finely slice the Brussels sprouts. Add these to the frying pan, season and cook for 10 mins, stirring now and then, until tender. Then, add the sliced ham to the frying pan also, and cook, stirring together for a minute longer. Remove from the heat.
2. Cook the spaghetti in the pan of boiling water, following packet instructions. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, single cream and milk with the grated Parmesan and a good pinch of ground black pepper.
3. When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a cup of the starchy cooking water. Return the frying pan with the sprouts and ham mixture to a very low heat and add in the pasta and water. Next, add the egg mixture. Toss everything together for a couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened, and everything is well combined. You may need to add a splash more water if it looks to dry. Serve the carbonara with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan and a scattering of crushed walnuts.