Fried Egg Pesto Pasta

It's all about the timing which makes it a bit tricky. I finally got it right, and it's really all about getting the pan off the heat at the right time - when the yolks are still runny and glistening.

Number of portions: 4
Serving size: 425 g
Calories per serving: 787 kcal
Speed: Everyday Dish
Experienced cook (active time): 20–25 min
Novice cook (active time): 30–35 min
Total elapsed time: ~30 min
LHSS Score: 4/10

1lb/454g dry pasta

2 Tbsps (30g) olive oil

¼ tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste

Pinch of salt

¾ cup (6oz/170g) + (42g) ¼ cup pesto = 212 g total

6 eggs

1. The watchword for this recipe is 'timing'. Things need to be lined up just right for the recipe to work, otherwise you get scrambled egg pasta instead of a silky pesto sauce.
2. Cook pasta with a pinch of salt until just al dente. This is important because overdone pasta will be too soft and break easily.
3. Get a large serving plate ready.
4. Break the eggs into a bowl and set aside.
5. When the pasta is almost cooked, heat the oil in a pan on low temperature for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed pepper and a generous pinch of salt.
6. Just before draining and adding the cooked pasta turn up the heat to medium or medium high depending on your stove.
7. Add the pasta - it will snap and crackle! Quickly pour over the ¾ cup pesto and toss well to combine and to get the pesto nice and hot.
8. Pour the eggs over the hot noodles and very gently stir to preserve the yolks and allow the whites to start mixing and cooking onto the noodles for about a minute.
9. Turn off the heat and start to stir more vigorously, flipping the noodles and breaking the yolks to create the sauce. Do this quickly to avoid cooking the yolks too much, or at all if that's your preference. 
10. Immediately slide onto a large plate and pour over the remaining ¼ cup of pesto, and  and serve. The egg should be soft and creamy.