This simple pasta with spinach is one of my most popular meatless recipes: it's easy, delicious and ready in less than 15 minutes. Recipe yields 4 medium-sized servings.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Meatless recipes
Servings: 4
Author: Katia
Ingredients
Pasta
8oz(225 grams)pasta (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti…)
Spinach sauce
1Tablespoonolive oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
1oz(30 grams)freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
¼teaspoonground nutmeg, or ⅓ of freshly grated nutmeg, or according to taste
black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Cook your pasta until al dente following the package directions. Reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water when you drain the pasta, and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes until fragrant (but don't burn it).
Add part of the spinach and season with salt. Stir until wilted adding handful of spinach at a time.
When the spinach are wilted but still bright green, stir in cream cheese and 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water (don't add all the pasta water straight away, but save the rest in case you need to loosen the sauce when you add pasta to the skillet).
Then stir in grated parmesan cheese and nutmet and toss well to combine. The sauce will be ready in a couple of minutes.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and the spinach sauce and toss well. Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy.
Notes
Seasoning: I find that 1/4 tsp of salt is fine for the sauce. Pasta water and parmesan cheese contain salt, so you’re not supposed to add extra salt to the spinach sauce. However, before adding pasta, taste and make sure you’re happy with the seasoning.Leftovers: it keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge, stored in an air-tight container. Add a tiny splash of water to loosen up the sauce if needed and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.