Green Pasta With Lemon and Pecorino
Everyone needs more greens in their lives. This ultra-simple pasta sauce featuring frozen broccoli and spinach from chef Catherine Flynn is the ideal way to get your greens in...and enjoy it! Perfect for a quick weeknight meal that checks all the boxes.
Ingredients
- 450 g paccheri or other pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 cups frozen broccoli florets
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth or water
- 4 cups fresh or frozen baby spinach
- handful fresh basil plus more to garnish
- ½ cup 35% cream or labneh
- salt
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ cup finely grated pecorino or Parmensan cheese plus more to garnish
- freshly ground black pepper
- Basil Oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Bring large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook pasta for about 2 minutes less than the package recommends. Scoop out and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta. Drizzle it with olive oil and toss so it doesn't stick together.
- Return empty saucepan to burner and turn heat up to high. Add olive oil and broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broccoli turns bight green. Add garlic cloves. Cook for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add spinach. Stir to wilt spinach. Turn off heat.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli, garlic and spinach to high-speed blender along with basil. Pulse to combine. With blender running on low speed, slowly pour in any broth remaining in pot after you scooped out the vegetables and then pour in cream. If you're using labneh instead of cream, add about half of the reserved pasta water and purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
- Transfer broccoli sauce back to saucepan. Add pasta. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring to coat pasta in sauce. Add lemon juice and pecorino cheese. Stir in to combine. The pasta should be quite saucy, so if it's looking a little dry, add another splash or two of reserved pasta water and stir to combine.
- Divide pasta among bowls. Garnish with more pecorino cheese, black pepper to taste and basil oil. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.