This Creamy Spinach Pasta is just a wee bit indulgent with a splash of cream in each serving and plenty of Parmesan cheese, but it is also chock-full of spinach (or chard if you're feeling fancy) to keep you eating plenty of veggies. Use a whole grain pasta for even an even more healthful dinner. In any case, it's an easy one-dish dinner that can be served as traditional pasta or made ahead and baked as a casserole, creating a crispy, browned, irresistible crust.
Note: For quicker cooking but more dishes, start cooking the garlic and greens while the pasta boils in a separate pan.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches spinach or Swiss chard (or a 10-oz. bag of spinach leaves)
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
- 8 oz. fusilli, corkscrew, or rotini pasta
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 3/4 to 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan or other hard grating cheese
Preparation:
- If baking as a casserole, preheat oven to 375°F. In any case, bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, rinse and trim spinach or chard. Chop garlic finely. Butter an 8-by-8 baking dish if you're making the casserole version.
- Add 1 Tbsp. salt to boiling water and pasta. Cook until pasta is tender to the bite. Drain pasta and return pot to stove over medium-high heat.
- Add olive oil and garlic to pan, cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Add spinach or chard and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir until starting to wilt, cover, and cook until completely wilted, about 2 minutes for spinach and 5 minutes for chard.
- Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook to blend flavors, about 2 minutes.
- Add nutmeg and black pepper, if you like. Add pasta and stir to combine thoroughly - the greens will want to stick together, so you will need to break them up a bit if you want them evenly distributed in the pasta. Cover and cook so the pasta can soak up some of the juices, about 2 mintues.
- Stir in half of the cheese. Either serve as is in pasta bowls topped with the rest of the cheese or transfer mixture to the baking dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbling and starting to brown on top, about 15 minutes.
Makes 4 servings Creamy Spinach Pasta.
