Tagliatelle with Spinach, Mascarpone, and Parmesan

Updated February 23, 2016

Chef

Cookbook

Jamie's Dinners

Published by Penguin

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This image courtesy of David Loftus

Again, this is a really good dish for kids. Even though they may not eat spinach on its own, I’ve never had a problem feeding this to my two-year-old. The reason she likes it so much is because she can suck on the spaghetti, and the mascarpone and cooking water make a fantastic sauce.

Serves4

Cooking Methodsauteeing

CostInexpensive

Easy

Total Timeunder 30 minutes

Kid FriendlyYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Family Get-together

Recipe Coursehot appetizer, main course

Dietary Considerationhalal, kosher, peanut free, soy free, vegetarian

Mealdinner

Moodstressed

Taste and Texturebuttery, cheesy, chewy, creamy, garlicky, rich, savory

Type of Dishdry pasta, pasta

Ingredients

455g/1lb tagliatelle or spaghetti
Olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
½ a nutmeg, freshly grated
400g/14oz fresh spinach, washed thoroughly and finely sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
120ml/4fl oz double cream (heavy cream)
150g/5oz mascarpone cheese
2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile get a frying pan or wok warm, add a drizzle of olive oil, the butter, garlic, and nutmeg. When the butter melts, add the spinach. After 5 minutes it will have wilted down and will be nice and dark. A lot of the liquid will have cooked away and you’ll have wonderful intensely flavoured spinach. At this point season with salt and pepper until it tastes good, then add the cream, mascarpone, and a little ladle of cooking water from the pasta. Let this come to a simmer and then season again.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, then stir it into the spinach sauce. Add the Parmesan and toss everything together. Loosen to a nice silky consistency with some of the reserved cooking water, so it doesn’t become too claggy. Check once more for seasoning and serve straight away.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, then stir it into the spinach sauce. Add the Parmesan and toss everything together. Loosen to a nice silky consistency with some of the reserved cooking water, so it doesn’t become too claggy. Check once more for seasoning and serve straight away.