Pasta With Spinach Sauce
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
A truly delicious way to get your greens in! Goat cheese and garlic give the blended sauce tons of flavor, and it’s packed with nutrients from all the spinach. People have told me they’ve thrown Italian sausage into this recipe as well – which would be a great addition to add some protein.
Pasta With Spinach Sauce
Serves:
4 people
Cooking Level: Beginner
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Inactive Time
Total Time
25 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound pasta, such as Fusilli Corti, pictured
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
- Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.
- Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.
NUTRITION:
Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4194IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 3mg
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Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman