Spinach Pasta Two Ways

Are you sick of seeing pasta around here yet? Don't worry, I've moved on after eating it for two weeks straight, but not before sharing these two quick sauces with you. If you're looking for a new way to use up spinach, or just like the look of a summery green pasta, these are for you!

Linguini with Fresh Spinach & Olive Oil

I won't fib and say this one is good for you (nice to meet you olive oil and butter), but it does include fresh spinach right from the garden, is super light, and is the perfect coating for doughy, freshly made pasta. Of course you don't need homemade linguini to enjoy this super fast sauce, it'd be good on any old make or shape.

To make this sauce, I grabbed about a cup of fresh spinach from the garden, washed it and gave it a spin in the food processor. Then I added the pureed spinach to about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of butter that had been warming on the stove. I also tossed in two cloves of minced fresh garlic, salt & pepper, and dash of crushed red pepper flakes. 

It's as simple as that! Let it cook gently until everything is fragrant, then toss over warm pasta.

After tossing the sauce with the pasta, I grated lemon zest and squeezed fresh lemon juice over the top. This sauce is super fresh and light. No parmesan needed!

"Creamed" Spinach & Pierogies

This little mound of greenery came about by accident, but had the consistency of spinach-artichoke dip or the creamed spinach you might get at a steakhouse. Minus all the fat!

I started by sautéing half a yellow onion in 2 teaspoons of olive oil until they were soft and translucent. Then I added a whole bag of frozen spinach. Rather than cooking the spinach in water, I poured in about a half cup of white wine I had sitting in the fridge.

I planned on tossing this mixture with pierogies, but I really wasn't feeling it. I wanted something smooth. So I poured it into the food processor, blended it up and added a little half & half and pasta water to smooth it out. Then back into the saucepan it went, along with 2 wedges of The Laughing Cow Light cheese, salt & pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of nutmeg.

Once it was all melted together, I just poured it on top of a bag of cooked pierogies and called it dinner. 

That's a whole lotta green!