This pasta dish is perfect when you do not feel like cooking but still want something healthy and nutritious. You will make this entire dish in twenty minutes and have only one saucepan to clean!! The recipe feeds six adults and is delicious served hot or cold.
500g penne pasta
6 cloves of garlic
400g spinach or swiss chard
30ml olive oil
50g parmesan cheese
625ml frozen green peas
one lemon
100g ricotta cheese
Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet.
Once it is cooked, scoop out 250ml of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
Set the pasta and pasta water aside.
Cut the stems from the spinach leaves and peel the garlic cloves.
Put a casserole with water onto the burner and add the spinach and garlic as soon as the water starts boiling. Simmer the leaves and garlic for 5 minutes.
Scoop the spinach and garlic directly into the jug of a blender and add the olive oil and pasta water.
Add the peas to the spinach water left in the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the peas and keep it aside.
Grate the parmesan cheese and add that to the blender jug as well.
Process the ingredients until it is very finely chopped.
Now pour the spinach mixture and drained pasta back into the empty saucepan and turn the heat on to medium.
Add the peas and allow the mixture to warm through – about 2 minutes.
Season the dish with salt and white pepper.
Take the pasta from the heat and squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice onto it.
Serve the pasta with fresh ricotta cheese.
My Whisk and I 