Total Time
30 minutes
When making tortelloni filled with spinach and ricotta, I sometimes ended up with leftover filling. It occurred to me that it would make a very nice pasta sauce, so I added a little cream to the mixture and it was delicious—so much so that I’ve been making it just to use as a pasta sauce. If you use packaged baby spinach, it is also very quick and simple to prepare.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta' by Giuliano Hazan. Buy the full book on Amazon. Click through for more of Giuliano Hazan’s favorite pastas →
Ingredients
Serves 4
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Put about 1 inch of water in a pot large enough to cook the spinach. Place it over high heat. When the water boils, add 1 tsp. salt and the spinach. Cook until the spinach is quite tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible by pressing on the spinach with a spoon. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and finely chop it.
Step 3
While the spinach is cooking, peel the onion and finely chop it. Put the butter in a 12-inch skillet, add the onion, and place over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until it turns a rich golden color, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
When the water for the pasta is boiling, add about 2 Tbsp. salt, add the penne, and stir well. Cook until al dente.
Step 5
When the onion is ready, add the spinach and sauté, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the ricotta, cream, and nutmeg, and cook until the ricotta has heated through and the cream is reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and season with pepper, then remove from the heat.
Step 6
When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve at once.
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopFabulous recipe! Hubby loves creamed spinach and this is now his favorite vegetarian dish. I made some substitutions: Whipped cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and 2percent milk instead of heavy cream and it was still delicious. A sprinkle of crushed red pepper for some heat for serving gave it a touch of heat. No leftovers!
Karen B
New Jersey
11/28/2023
ANONYMOUS, my friend. Please don't be one of those folks who comes on line to make a criticism when you have objectly not done due diligence first. It quite clearly says "Serves 4" at the very top. Any chance you're looking at this without being properly logged in or a paid subscriber?
Anonymous
These United States
2/3/2023
It says ‘Serves 4’ above the ingredients list.
Liz G
UK
2/2/2023
3.5 stars! Easy to whip up and easy to adjust for what you’ve got in the kitchen. I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream and it still came out good! Next time I would add garlic and waaaay more veggies. Also lots more salt. Would make again but you don’t need a recipe to whip up something like this :-)
Chia
Austin, Texas
8/9/2023
Made this tonight for the first time. Family loved it. Cooled down the leftovers and it is delicious cold as a pasta salad too.
Sidenator
Montana
6/12/2023
It’s delicious, warm and cozy and satisfying- made it as written - but the spinach can easily be steamed in the basket on top of the pasta pot instead of boiled
Reneereneerenee
Ny ny
2/19/2023
It wasn't very good. I added some garlic and Italian seasonings toward the end when I discovered it was flavorless but it was too late to rescue it.
Fuh Que
Bumfuck MI
2/11/2023
Two pots and a skillet? Who’s washing your dishes? I guess this was to meet the thirty minute constraint. I had more time, so I cooked the spinach, then used the same pot for the pasta. Next time I might cook the spinach in a Dutch oven then use the same for the onion etc. But the recipe was fine.
Marky
2/8/2023
This is a delicious recipe! And serves 4 amply. I also tried a couple of adjustments for my personal tastes: Extra butter Italian herbs instead of nutmeg Squeeze some lemon on the spinach and onion when done sautéing It’s a winner either way. And we can be a picky crowd of private chefs and foodies who are originally from the SF Bay Area.
Anonymous
Southern Oregon Coast
2/4/2023
I hesitate to use a recipe that doesn’t include the number of suggested servings and the nutrition information.
Anonymous
2/1/2023
See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
47 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes You’ll Want to Make Again Tomorrow
From easy weeknight noodles to cozy Sunday bakes.The 21 Most Popular Noodle and Pasta Recipes of 2023
These were the recipes full of carby comfort that our readers loved the most this year.Giuliano Hazan's Favorite Pastas of All Time
The cookbook author and cooking instructor shares his favorite pasta dinners.
