Ingredients:

  • 12 oz Penne, Fusilli, or Cavatappi pasta
  • 1 tbsp Sea salt
  • 4 oz Full-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened
  • 1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup Reserved pasta cooking water
  • 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 oz Fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 Lemon, zested and juiced

Instructions:

  1. Boil the pasta. Cook 12 oz pasta in salted water until just under al dente. Note: It finishes cooking in the sauce later.
  2. Save the water. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the cloudy pasta water before draining.
  3. Warm the oil. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in your skillet over medium low heat until it shimmers.
  4. Toast the aromatics. Add 3 sliced garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Cook 2 mins until fragrant but not brown.
  5. Wilt the spinach. Toss in 5 oz chopped spinach. Cook 1 min until it begins to collapse.
  6. Create the base. Add the 4 oz softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the reserved water to the skillet.
  7. Whisk the sauce. Stir vigorously until a smooth, white sauce forms.
  8. Incorporate pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet.
  9. Final emulsion. Toss in 1/2 cup Parmesan and the remaining pasta water. Stir until the sauce is glossy and thick.
  10. Add the zest. Squeeze the lemon juice and sprinkle the zest over the top before a final toss.