Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe
You must try this lip smacking Spinach Penne Pasta that is tossed in a delicious creamy white sauce which brings in a great taste to the dish. Serve it for a weekend dinner along with a healthy spiced apple crumble pie for dessert.
The Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe is one of the classic Italian Vegetarian Dishes that Italians make at home for a quick weeknight dinner. In one of my trips to Italy, the one thing that stood out was the abundant use of vegetables in Pasta and other dishes. And the other thing that stood out even more was the freshness of the pasta sauce and richness of the spinach leaves.
Serve Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe with Assorted Cheese Platter Served With Fruits, Piña Colada Recipe (Pineapple with Coconut Milk Mocktail) and Vanilla Panna Cotta Recipe With Strawberry Coulis for a weekend elaborate menu or just with a crusty bread for weeknight dinner.
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4 Servings
Ingredients
- 300 grams Durum Wheat Penne Pasta
- 300 grams Spinach Leaves (Palak) , roughly chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic , grated
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper , freshly crushed, to taste For the White Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Fresh cream
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Salt and Pepper , to taste
How to make Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe
To begin making the Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe,
In a large pot, add water and bring it to a boil. Once the water has boiled, add a teaspoon of salt.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until the pasta is cooked till al dente (just cooked). This process should take a good 12-15 minutes to get an al dente pasta.
Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water and run the cooked pasta under running water to stop the cooking process and prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.
Drizzle some oil on top of pasta and make sure to coat all of the pasta with the oil so that the pasta doesn't stick to each other.
Whisk together the flours, salt, pepper, nutmeg and the milk until all the flour is well dissolved into the milk.
Pour the white sauce mixture into a saucepan and begin cooking the Bechamel sauce until it thickens.
As the White Sauce pasta mixture/ Bechamel Sauce begins to thicken, add in the cream and cheese, continue to stir well until there are no lumps and the mixture is cooked through completely.
Cook till you get the desired consistency and switch it off.
In a heavy bottomed pan, add in a tablespoon of olive oil and the grated garlic. Saute for a few seconds and add in the chopped spinach and salt to taste. Saute on medium heat until the spinach has softened. Turn off the heat. You want the spinach to retain its rich green color and hence dont over cook it.
Add the white sauce-bechamel sauce into the spinach and stir well on medium heat and give a good boil for a couple of minutes.
Add in the boiled pasta and stir well.Once the pasta is well coated with the sauce, turn off the heat and serve.
Serve Creamy Spinach Penne Pasta Recipe with Assorted Cheese Platter Served With Fruits, Piña Colada Recipe (Pineapple with Coconut Milk Mocktail) and Vanilla Panna Cotta Recipe With Strawberry Coulis for a weekend elaborate menu or just with a crusty bread for weeknight dinner.