Spinach Cheese Pasta

I love spinach no less than Popeye and cook it in a variety of ways. You’ve read some of my Indian recipes with spinach so far; now presenting a healthy pasta sauce with spinach as its prime ingredient. This dish should make spinach-haters too have a change of heart :).

You Need:

• Pasta – 2 cups (I used fusili pasta)
• Onion – 1, finely chopped
• Spinach leaves – 2 bunches, cleaned and stems removed
• Cream – 1 tablespoon
• Milk – 1 tablespoon
• Cream cheese – 1 tablespoon (I used Britannia pepper-cheese spread)
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 teaspoons 

How To:

Boil the pasta: Add the pasta to a saucepan of boiling water to which salt and a few drops of oil have been added.  Depending on the thickness of pasta the time to cook could be approximately 8-12 minutes. Pierce with a fork and check. If using fusili, check the center of the pasta as that takes longer to cook.

When the pasta is done, drain and let cold water run over it (so that it doesn’t cook any further). Keep ready for further use.

Blanch the spinach: Plunge the spinach leaves into boiling water. After two minutes, take out and transfer to chilled water. You’ll see the green of the spinach turn a beautiful rich shade.

Blend the spinach to a paste. Don’t discard the water in which the spinach was boiled – use it in soup or to knead atta for rotis.

Making the sauce: Heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the finely chopped onions. Stir and fry till the onions begin to brown.

Pour in the spinach paste, add a dash of salt. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, cream and cream cheese. Mix well. 

Put it all together: Finally toss in the boiled pasta. Cook for a minute or two – till the texture becomes thick and all the pasta is coated evenly with the sauce.

Serve hot.

Tips:

• You can cut down on the fat if you so wish – reduce the quantity of cream and cheese.
• Be careful with adding salt, you need less than usual in this dish. Spinach has its own salt, so does most cream cheese and remember that the pasta has been boiled in salted water already.