Creamy Spinach Pasta Sauce

by BushyEyes

1 Comment

  1. BushyEyes

    **Ingredients**

    * 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

    **Blanch the spinach:**

    1. 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:**

    1. 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.
    2. 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:**

    1. 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:**

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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:**

    1. 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!

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