Creamy Pesto Casarecce with Spinach
A batch of fresh pesto is all you need for a quick, fabulous weeknight pasta dish that comes together super quickly. Al dente casarecce, spinach, fresh pesto, a good wine / cream sauce, and some herbs & grana padano to finish. Creamy and delish!
PREP TIME
25 minutes
COOK TIME
25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
27
Serves: 4
Ingredients
PESTO
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Pine Nuts
- 28 grams28 grams28 grams Basil, Fresh, chopped
- 0.333 cup0.333 cup0.333 cup Parsley, chopped
- 2 whole2 whole2 whole Garlic, crushed & chopped
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Grana Padano Cheese, cut into small chunks / cubes
- 0.5 whole0.5 whole0.5 whole Lemon, juice
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Water, splash of cold water
- 0.25 tsp0.25 tsp0.25 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, More To Taste
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Black Peppercorns, Ground Fresh, a pinch
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Red Pepper Flakes, a pinch
PASTA
- 2 Tbsp2 Tbsp2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp2 Tbsp2 Tbsp Butter, Unsalted
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 cloves4 cloves4 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
- 2 whole2 whole2 whole Shallot, diced
- 0.5 bunch0.5 bunch0.5 bunch Green Onion (Scallion), sliced
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup White Wine, I used Sauv Blanc
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream, room temp
- 4 cup4 cup4 cup Casarecce Pasta, Heaping Cups (I Used a liquid measuring cup)
- 141 grams141 grams141 grams Baby Spinach, excess stems removed & chopped
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Parsley, chopped
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Grana Padano Cheese, finely shredded
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Himalayan Pink Salt, See Recipe
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Black Peppercorns, Ground Fresh, See Recipe
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Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
- PESTO - Toast your pine nuts in a dry skillet set to about medium. Once they're nice and golden, transfer them to a small bowl as you prepare everything else. Add everything to a small vortex blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a small bowl, cover & refrigerate until needed.
- Bring a large pot of cold, generously salted water to a boil and leave covered.
- Begin heating the EVOO, butter, garlic, and pepper flakes in a large skillet set to about medium. Once heated, stir and let everything sizzle together for about 30 seconds before adding the shallot, green onion, and a generous hit of both salt & pepper. Stir and cook about 5 - 7 minutes until things have softened up. Pour in the wine and let that simmer until reduced by about half. In the meantime, add your pasta to your boiling water and cook to al dente.
- Once your wine has reduced, pour in your cream and stir to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. Once the creamy sauce starts bubbling away, reduce your heat to a low simmer and stir frequently as it stops rapidly bubbling. Cook your cream sauce until your pasta is al dente.
- Right before adding your noodles, stir in your chopped spinach and another good hit of both salt & pepper. Stir and cook until your pasta is ready. Strain the pasta directly into your skillet and start tossing / stirring everything as the skillet simmers to combine and thicken up your sauce. Continue this for a couple of minutes until your sauce has thickened up nicely.
- Turn off the heat and add your fresh parsley, grana padano, prepared pesto, and a small ladle of pasta water. Toss until everything has come together and you have a gorgeous pesto sauce. Add additional pasta water if needed for your desired creamy consistency. Once your pasta is nice and creamy, taste prior to serving and adjust your salt to taste.
- Set aside the skillet with a tilted lid for a couple of minutes prior to serving up. Serve your portions garnished with heaps of finely shredded grana padano, pepper flakes, parsley & basil. ENJOY!
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About This Recipe
Show nutritional information
Coconut Free Entrées Other Pescetarian Shellfish Free Sugar Alcohol Free| This is our estimate based on online research. | |
| Calories: | 1133 |
| Fat: | 75 g |
| Carbohydrates: | 80 g |
| Protein: | 44 g |
| Cholesterol: | 167 g |
| Sodium: | 1292 mg |
| Fiber: | 3 g |
| Sugars: | 3 g |
| Sugar Alcohol: | 0 g |
| Calculated per serving. | |
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Yum!!!!