Oh my God, you guys. Life has got crazy busy.

Though cooking relaxes me and I prefer to cook something at least slightly challenging most nights as it helps me wind down, lately I’ve found myself looking for super quick and easy recipes as I’m severely short on time right now. I actually think it’s been months since I baked a cake, which is not like me at all. 

I first saw a recipe for spaghetti with marmite in a Nigella book and it seemed quite plain and too simple so didn’t think it was for me. But I saw this recipe which also included bacon and thought I’d give it a shot. I mean, after all, there isn’t supposed to be anything that bacon can’t improve.

It’s got a similar consistency and flavour to carbonara – but is obviously a lot more savoury tasting, with that yummy umami marmite taste. I don’t think you’d be able to guess that marmite was in it, so you could even fool some haters with this.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g pack of spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200g pancetta
• diced
• 80g butter
• softened
• 2 tsp Marmite
• 50g cheddar
• grated
• grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the pancetta for 8-10 mins until crispy.
2. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a little pasta water. Tip the spaghetti back into the pan with the pasta water and add the pancetta with the fat from the pan, the butter, Marmite and cheeses. Use tongs to coat the spaghetti in the sauce and season with a little pepper. Taste and add a little more Marmite, if you like. Serve in bowls with extra parmesan sprinkled over.