Creamy Spinach Pasta Dish (Print)

Penne enveloped in a smooth garlic cream sauce with fresh spinach and Parmesan cheese.

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
05 - 7 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 1 cup heavy cream
07 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
09 - ¼ tsp black pepper
10 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

11 - Extra grated Parmesan, to serve
12 - Freshly ground black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03 - Add the chopped spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Reduce heat and pour in the heavy cream, stirring continuously. Allow to gently simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
05 - Stir in the grated Parmesan, ground nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Let the sauce thicken slightly over 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, tossing to coat evenly. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add reserved pasta water to achieve the desired consistency.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in 30 minutes flat, which means you can have restaurant-quality comfort food on a weeknight without losing your mind.
  • The cream sauce is forgiving and elegant enough to serve to people you actually want to impress, but homey enough to eat alone with zero judgment.
  • Fresh spinach adds brightness and nutrition without making you feel like you're eating health food, because honestly, you're not.
02 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining because that starchy liquid is liquid gold for adjusting sauce consistency—cream by itself can get gluey, but pasta water transforms it into something silky.
  • Don't let the cream boil aggressively or it can separate and break, which taught me the hard way that medium heat and patience are non-negotiable here.
  • Taste everything multiple times because cream is a flavor-dampener and what seems under-seasoned cold tastes just right once it's hot on pasta.
03 -
  • If your sauce breaks or separates, don't panic—whisk in a splash of cold pasta water and it'll come back together, or start fresh with a new batch of cream and slowly whisk in your separated sauce to emulsify it.
  • Make this with the best ingredients you can find because there's nowhere for subpar components to hide in such a simple dish, and you'll taste the difference in every bite.
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