Spaghetti with Spinach and Garlic

Spaghetti with Spinach and Garlic

Sometime it’s a real challenge getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour (by which I mean, not just before bedtime). Between having to work and take care of a baby whose bedtime ritual falls right in the middle of the 7:00 dining hour, cooking dinner has been stretching me to my limit. Even 30-minute recipes take too long when you start cooking at 8:00p.m.

That’s why I welcome a recipe like Spaghetti with Spinach and Garlic. As long as you start heating the water ahead of time, you can have this meal done and plated in 10-15 minutes. This is a good choice when you have no time to cook but can’t face scrambled eggs for dinner, particularly if you already had a heavy lunch that day and want something light.

You’ll probably recognize this classic recipe — especially if you omit the spinach and make pasta aglio e olio — but this is one of the better versions of it that I’ve had. The secret is taking a little time to saute the garlic slowly over a relatively low heat. The basic recipe will pair nicely with many different cooked vegetables other than spinach. Broccoli is a classic choice, but I imagine that green beans, artichoke hearts, zucchini and fresh tomatoes would all be excellent as well.

Spaghetti with Spinach and Garlic

Yields: 2 servings
Time to make: ~15 minutes plus time to heat the pasta cooking water

What you need:

• ½ lb. spaghetti
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• coarse salt to taste
• 1½ tbsp. parsley, minced
• ½ tbsp. lemon juice
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 lb. spinach
• Parmesan for garnish

1. Cook the spaghetti, reserving the pasta cooking water when draining.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.
3. Add the garlic and coarse salt, and saute, stirring frequently, until the garlic turns golden and starts to foam, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the spinach to the pan and saute, stirring, until it wilts, about 1 minute.
5. Toss the garlic-spinach mixture with the cooked spaghetti plus the additional olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, red pepper flakes and enough reserved cooking water to help everything stick together (about 2-3 tablespoons).
6. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan to serve.

Note: If you omit the spaghetti and just make the spinach, you’ll have a very tasty side dish.

This is my entry this week for Presto Pasta Nights, which is hosted at Vanielje Kitchen.