Creamy Spinach Pasta

Pasta in spinach cream sauce| Bechamel sauce| Penne with spinach cream sauce is basically pasta cooked in white sauce with added spinach puree. The spinach adds nutrition and also appealing colour to the dish. Add the cooked pasta of your choice in to the spinach creamy sauce and your yummy pasta is done!
My hubbys favourite pasta dish, he just love pasta dishes, just opposite i don't fancy the pasta much. I always stock pasta, when ever i have food for me i cook pasta for him. This is a quick pasta preparation. I have already shared Meat lasagna, Vegetarian Lasagna and Spaghetti Soyagnese pasta recipes in blog.

INGREDIENTS:

To prepare Creamy Spinach Sauce:
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Garlic, finely chopped - 5 to 6 cloves

All purpose flour -1 tablespoon

Milk - 2 cups
Parmesan Cheese- 2 tablespoon
Italian herbs of choice(basil,oregano,thyme..etc) -1 tsp(optional)
Salt - to taste
Spinach - 2 cups (1 small bunch)

To cook pasta:
Pasta of your choice- 2 cup
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Water - 6 cups water

PROCEDURE:
To cook pasta:

• In a deep pan add water and allow to boil with some salt and oil; Once the water starts boil, add the pasta to it and allow to cook till soft. Drain the water and rinse with cold water and set aside.

To prepare spinach sauce:

• Remove stem and wash spinach. Boil some water and blanch the spinach leaves to slightly wilt them.
• Cool and grind the spinach leaves as a paste(i used to add a green chilli for more spiciness).

• Heat butter in a pan and add the chopped garlic and cook for a minute. Now add the all purpose flour and cook for a second to leave the flour taste.
• Then add milk, spinach puree, pepper powder, salt and herb of choice with some grated cheese. Allow the mixture to bubble and cook by constant stirring without any lumps. 

• Once the sauce starts to thicken add the cooked pasta and mix well and cook in that sauce for a minute and serve hot.

• Notes: You could add some sweetcorn with pasta at the final stage for variation.
• You could use chilli flakes for a kick instead pepper powder.