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Creamy spinach pasta with lemon

Creamy pasta for a weeknight, with spinach, garlic and the zest and juice of a lemon, so the cream doesn't weigh it down. The sauce is ready in the time it takes the pasta to cook. On the table in 25 minutes.

  • Easy
  • Little chopping
  • Vegetarian

Recipe by Lydia Louter · Cuisine: Italian

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
A white bowl of penne with spinach in a creamy sauce, topped with grated cheese and lemon zest, on a wooden table next to a halved lemon and a grater.

Method

  1. Step 1: Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook 200 g pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes or as long as the packet says. Just before draining, scoop a cup of the cooking water out of the pan, then drain the pasta.

    Timer 10 min

  2. Step 2: Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep frying pan and soften 1 shallot and 2 cloves garlic over a medium heat for 3 minutes, without letting them brown.

    Timer 3 min

  3. Step 3: Add 200 g fresh spinach to the pan, in two batches if you need to, and let it wilt for 2 minutes. Pour in 150 ml single cream, add nutmeg and grate the zest of 1 lemon over the top. Simmer gently for 3 minutes.

    Timer 5 min

  4. Step 4: Turn the heat off. Stir the pasta, 40 g Parmesan and the juice of the lemon into the sauce. If needed, add a splash of the cooking water until the sauce is smooth and coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5: Divide between bowls and top with a little more Parmesan and pepper if you like.

About this recipe

This is our recipe for the evening you want something mild. The lemon zest gives the sauce its scent and the juice at the end lightens the cream. The spinach wilts in two minutes, so the sauce is ready by the time the pasta comes out of the water.

next time a pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic

Tips

  • Turn the heat off before you stir in the lemon juice. Boiling cream can split as soon as acid is added.
  • Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet. If you cook strictly vegetarian, use a hard cheese that says on the packet that it is vegetarian.
  • Cooking for a lot more people? Use a wide, deep pan for the sauce. A mountain of spinach won't fit in one go: add it in batches and let each batch wilt first.

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