Green Sauce and Pasta

 Here is a healthy green sauce for pasta that is delicious and easy to make.  It's a beautiful bright green sauce that is so flavorful.  It's not a pesto, but does have some similar ingredients in it.  I usually make a short pasta like rigatoni, penne or farfalle for it.  I use my food processor to make the sauce, but a blender works just as well. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Rose pairs perfectly with this recipe.  Cheers!

Serves-4-5

Green Sauce

4 cups of fresh baby spinach (6 oz.)

1 cup fresh basil leaves

2-3 garlic cloves sliced

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + extra for serving

1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

Pasta

1 lb. box of rigatoni pasta or any short pasta.


Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  When it comes to a boil, add spinach and basil leaves to the water and cook for 20 seconds.  

Remove spinach and basil leaves with a slotted spoon and put into a colander to drain.  Rinse with cold water for 5 seconds and leave spinach and basil for a couple of minutes to drain in the colander.

Keep water in the large pot boiling and add pasta.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Save about a cup of the hot pasta water before draining the pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat a small saute pan to medium heat and add extra virgin olive oil, garlic slices and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.  Don't let the garlic burn.

To make the sauce, add drained spinach and basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.

Drain pasta and add it back to the large pot you cooked it in.  Add green sauce over the pasta and mix.  If sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to reach desired consistency.  Serve and top with additional Parmesan cheese.

 









 

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