Hello–and Happy December!
This creamy spinach and pepper pasta is what is on the menu at our house tonight! But first …I am seriously enjoying this time of year with all the beautiful decorations, twinkling lights, Christmas music and of course Hallmark movies! My Boys just roll their eyes whenever I turn one on, but I love them! They are the perfect background to wrapping presents and baking! You don’t really need to pay attention and you can still know what is going on (since they are all about the same–ha! 🙂
This time of year, I need quick and easy dinners. Who has time for elaborate dinners? Not me! I would rather spend my time making Christmas treats, but that doesn’t really satisfy my family when they get home tired and hungry. I was watching the Food Network while folding laundry last week and Giada was demonstrating some of her favorite weeknight dinner recipes that are quick and delicious. This Creamy Spinach and Pepper Pasta dish really caught my eye! It looked SO good and so easy, I couldn’t wait to try it. The problem was, it called for mascarpone cheese and the grocery store closest to me, did not carry it. I did not feel like trying to hunt it down at a speciality grocer so I did a little research.
WHAT IS MASCARPONE CHEESE?
According to Wikipedia, “…is an Italian cream cheese coagulated by the addition of certain acidic substances such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or acetic acid.” It’s creamy, thick, and delicious. It’s not overtly sweet, but is great in desserts or pasta dishes!
Then I looked up substitutes for mascarpone cheese and found a GREAT recipe which tasted fantastic and was a fraction of the cost (I had called a couple speciality grocery stores). I was so happy to be able to make this recipe and my family LOVED it! I doubt I will ever use the mascarpone cheese, since it is not available close to me and it sounds like it is expensive. I can vouch for the mascarpone substitute recipe—soooo good!!! My husband and boys raved about this dinner, even with all the spinach (ha!)! I ended up adding some leftover rotisserie chicken and it was perfect! The best part is, I made it in less than 30 minutes! It was so fast and so delicious…perfect for a busy weeknight dinner! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. My family is already requesting it again!
**Update–I was in a Trader Joe’s in Atlanta and they have mascarpone cheese for $2.99 for an 8oz container–about half the cost as it is around here. So if you are close to a Trader Joes–you can pick it up there for a pretty good price (although the cream cheese substitute is still cheaper)
Creamy Spinach and Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound fusilli or other pasta of choice
- 2 TB olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 5 cups baby spinach leaves (5 ounces)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano OR parmesan cheese (6 ounces)
- *1 cup mascarpone cheese (8 ounces), at room temperature OR Substitute 8 oz cream cheese mixed with 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 TB cream, optional you can add a 1/2 TB lemon ( I left this out this time ) —mix together first and then use instead of the mascarpone cheese—**
- Optional–add grilled or shredded chicken before serving.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive or avocado oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard.
- Add the spinach and 2 teaspoons pepper, and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 1 minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the pasta.
- Add the Pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese and 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper, and toss until coated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the reserved cooking liquid and the mascarpone (or cream cheese, sour cream, cream and lemon juice) cheese until smooth.
- Pour over the pasta and toss until coated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and serve.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network
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