Description
A quick and creamy pasta dish that’s perfect for busy weeknights, featuring a flavorful spinach sauce with cream cheese and parmesan.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or extra virgin olive oil (plus more to serve)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced or minced
- 9 oz baby spinach, washed
- ¼ tsp fine salt (plus more to taste)
- 5 oz cream cheese
- 1 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more to serve)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (or ⅓ of freshly grated nutmeg, or according to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Cooking the Pasta
- Cook your pasta until al dente following the package directions. Before draining, reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside.
Preparing the Sauce
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes until fragrant (make sure you don’t burn it).
- Add part of the spinach and season with salt. Stir until wilted adding handfuls of spinach at a time.
- When the spinach is wilted but still bright green, stir in cream cheese and 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water (don’t add all the reserved water straight away, but save the rest in case you need to loosen the sauce when you add pasta to the skillet).
- Then add grated parmesan cheese and nutmeg to the sauce and give a good stir. The sauce will be ready in a couple of minutes.
Combining and Serving
- Drain pasta, add to the skillet and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
For best results, serve hot straight from the skillet. Add extra grated parmesan and a quick grind of black pepper right before eating. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner, Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian