Pasta with Creamy Spinach Sauce
Easy, breezy, and so lush and creamy 🌞
Happy Wednesday! I have a new recipe today, and then I’m taking a break from cooking until this weekend.
This creamy spinach sauce is extra lush and creamy thanks to the combination of mascarpone and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. With the help of a food processor or blender, it comes together quickly and tastes fantastic with broad pasta, like tagliatelle, pappardelle, or fettuccine.
The full recipe is written out below. If you want to see additional photos, get some extra tips, and view nutritional information, click the button below to view the recipe on my website.
Creamy Spinach Pasta Sauce
5 ounces spinach, rinsed thoroughly
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, plus a few leaves for garnish
½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley
¼ cup shelled pistachios, unsalted
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup marscarpone or ricotta cheese
¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
12 ounces tagliatelle
1 cup pasta cooking water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Blanch the spinach:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the spinach and boil it for 30 seconds. Transfer to an ice bath and set aside.
Sauté the onions and garlic:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until very soft.
Add the roughly chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and turn off the heat. Set aside.
Cook the pasta:
To the pot of boiling, salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
Prepare the sauce:
Drain the spinach and squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible.
Place the basil, parsley, pistachios, spinach, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely minced. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and pulse again until incorporated.
Add the mascarpone, cooked onions and garlic, and ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano to the food processor along with a big pinch of salt. Pulse until smooth. Add half of the pasta water and continue blending until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.
Sauce the pasta:
Add the cooked pasta to the bowl of sauce. Toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking water as needed until the pasta is completely coated.
To serve:
Divide the pasta between shallow bowls. Garnish with the remaining grated parm and a few basil leaves. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like. Enjoy!
Notes:
You can leave the water boiling, add salt, and reuse it for the pasta. However, if you notice any grit in the water, I recommend dumping it, filling the pot back up with fresh water, and bringing it to a boil for the pasta.