This Green Sauce Pasta Recipe is a delicious and flavorful dish that mixes fresh spinach, herbs, garlic, fresh cream, cheese, and olive oil to excite your taste buds. The sauce's vibrant green color is eye-catching and represents the usage of fresh ingredients.
Once you make the green sauce for pasta, you can make green sauce spaghetti, green sauce penne pasta or any variety of pasta in green sauce.
If you're tired of the same old white or red sauce pasta, try this green sauce pasta.
This is also a great way to include more spinach into your diet. I must say kids also enjoy this green color pasta.
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Why Should You Make Green Sauce Pasta
This Green Sauce Pasta Recipe is
- Easy to prepare
- Made with few ingredients
- Healthy and nutritious
- Perfect for a main course in a kid's party or as a weeknight meal or lunchbox
- Budget-friendly
Ingredients
Pasta: I have used penne pasta for this recipe. However, you can use spaghetti, farfalle, fusilli, etc. for this dish.
Greens: Primarily baby spinach leaves are used for the green sauce. You can also add fresh Italian basil leaves in this green sauce. It enhances the flavor and aroma of the dish.
Cheese: I used Parmesan cheese in this cheesy green sauce pasta. If you do not have it, you can also use cheddar cheese for the dish.
Oil: I have used both olive oil and butter for making green sauce pasta. You can use any of them as well.
Cream: Fresh cream is a key ingredient in this recipe. If you don't want to use cream, you can substitute full fat milk for the similar result.
Others: Garlic pods, salt, etc.
Instructions
Here is the step-by-step process to make green sauce pasta.
Take large pot of water and bring it to boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. This is a key stage in the recipe.
While the pasta is boiling, season it generously with salt. Because when pasta boils, it absorbs the salt from the water, which enhances the flavor of the pasta. Don't forget to add salt to the water!
Cook the pasta in the water until it is al dente. Stir often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Before draining the pasta, save a cup of the water.
Meanwhile, clean the spinach leaves and blanch in hot water for few minutes. Later drain the water and allow to cool them.
Heat oil in a pan and add garlic cloves. Sauté for few minutes and add blanched spinach leaves. Sauté for some time and allow it to cool before blending it to make spinach puree.
After cooling make spinach puree with the addition of fresh basil leaves.
Now heat butter in a pan and add the spinach puree. Cook on low to medium heat until the raw smell disappears. Add salt at this time and mix well.
Next add fresh cream and combine well. If the sauce becomes too dry from the heat, gradually add pasta water.
Later add boiled pasta and mix well with the green sauce. Toss well to distribute the sauce and coat each pasta evenly.
After few minutes switch off the gas and add grated cheese on top and serve it hot immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Green sauce pasta is an excellent main course option. You can serve it with garlic bread, salad, or soup on the side.
Variations
- I have used spinach and basil for the green sauce. You can use peas, green zucchini, etc. to make this green sauce.
- You can add wide varieties of vegetables including corn, broccoli, bell peppers, etc. in this dish.
- You can add protein to your pasta dish. Add cooked chicken pieces or shrimps as per your choice. If you are a vegetarian, you can also add silken tofu or paneer pieces.
Storage
I always recommend having this green sauce pasta fresh. However, allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat the spinach pasta sauce on the stove or in the microwave. If necessary, add a splash of more liquid (water, milk, or vegetable stock) to loosen the sauce.
Top tips
- Salting the water causes the seasoning to enter the pasta, flavoring it from within.
- Always use fresh baby spinach leaves for the recipe.
- If the green sauce becomes too thick, add pasta water to thin it up. You can also add milk to change the consistency of the sauce.
- If the sauce appears thin, you can add the boiled pasta.
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Green Sauce Pasta Recipe
Materials
- 2 cups Penne Pasta
- 3-4 cups Spinach
- 6-7 no Basil Leaves
- 7-8 no Garlic Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- ½ cup Fresh Cream
- Salt
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
Instructions
- Boil water in a large pot and add salt in the water.
- Next add pasta in the water and cook until it becomes Al Dante.
- Save a cup of pasta water before draining the remaining water.
- Meanwhile, clean spinach leaves and blanch them.
- Now heat oil in a pan and sauté garlic cloves.
- After that add blanched spinach leaves and sauté for few minutes.
- Once they cool down, take them in a blender, add basil leaves and make puree.
- Now add butter in the pan and add spinach puree, cook for few minutes until the raw smell disappears. Add salt at this time and mix well.
- Next add fresh cream and combine well. If the sauce becomes too dry from the heat, gradually add pasta water.
- Add boiled pasta and mix well with the green sauce. Toss well to distribute the sauce and coat each pasta evenly.
- After few minutes switch off the gas and add grated cheese on top and serve it hot immediately.
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