This creamy spinach pasta sauce is a wonderful way to get your greens. It’s loaded with basil, parsley, and a few other simple ingredients. The trick? Blanching the spinach before cooking makes for the greenest basil spinach sauce ever.
I craved something green tonight and decided on this gorgeous creamy spinach pasta sauce. This sauce is similar to pesto but richer, thanks to the addition of mascarpone. It’s really simple to make and perfect for a weeknight meal, but you will need a blender or food processor to get the smoothest sauce possible.
Like spinach sauces I’ve made in the past, how you cook the spinach is really important. You must be careful not to cook out all the color (and nutrients!). My recipe for creamy spinach pasta sauce will teach you how to make the lushest sauce that retains all its beautiful color.
Using a high speed blender (or a stick blender, whatever you have) blend the spinach and garlic with ½ cup pasta water until really smooth. Add the lemon juice, parmesan and salt and pepper and blend again until well combined. Taste the sauce and season to taste, this sauce needs a lot of salt.
But first, the pasta:
The pasta you choose for this sauce is entirely dependent upon your preferences. In my opinion, the richness of the sauce pairs well with broader pasta shapes, like tagliatelle (above), pappardelle, or fettuccine. Short, tubular pasta like rigatoni or paccheri would both work well to catch all the sauce. Avoid thin or small pasta like spaghetti, angel hair, or orzo. You want a shape that can hold its own against the thick sauce.
Do I need to blanch the spinach before cooking?
Beginner cooks may ask first, “what is blanching?” So let’s talk about that first. Blanching is a cooking process that involves plunging a food–most commonly a vegetable or fruit–into boiling water for a brief time. The time in the water depends upon the food, but it can range from 30 seconds up to 2–3 minutes. After the vegetable has finished in the boiling water, it is immersed in an ice bath which stops the cooking process. There are many benefits to blanching, but the most important benefit is that it prevents the food from overcooking and gives you much more control over the finished product.
In this recipe, I strongly advise blanching the spinach first. 30 seconds in boiling water will cook the spinach to just the right texture for puréing into a silky sauce without losing the color.
Spinach Cream Sauce
FAQ
What is creamed spinach made of?
Is spinach pasta made from spinach?
What brings out the Flavour of spinach?
How is spinach prepared?
What is spinach pasta sauce?
This creamy spinach pasta sauce is a wonderful way to get your greens. It’s loaded with basil, parsley, and a few other simple ingredients. The trick? Blanching the spinach before cooking makes for the greenest basil spinach sauce ever. I craved something green tonight and decided on this gorgeous creamy spinach pasta sauce.
Where does spinach come from?
Spinach is a is a leafy green flowering plant originated in Persia. The vegetable has many health benefits provided by its antioxidant substances, vitamins such as folate, magnesium and vitamin A, as well as fiber, which help to reduce the risks of developing chronic diseases. Spinach is also a source of other substances beneficial to the body, such as lutein, which can help reducing the incidence of macular degeneration, one of the main causes of blindness in the elderly.
How much spinach do you need to make spinach sauce?
You’ll need at least 1.5 large (10 ounce) containers of fresh baby spinach leaves, and you can gradually add more to get the creamed spinach to reach your desired consistency. If the sauce starts to get too thick as you wilt the spinach, you can add extra milk or cream to thin the sauce until it’s just the way you like it!
How much spinach do I need to make a creamy white sauce?
With your creamy white sauce ready, it’s time to add the spinach! You’ll need at least 1.5 large (10 ounce) containers of fresh baby spinach leaves, and you can gradually add more to get the creamed spinach to reach your desired consistency.