GREEN SPAGHETTI

SERVES: 4 I PREP: 7 MINUTES I COOK: 10 MINUTES

Here’s a fast, brilliant way to up your veggie intake in an eye- catching bowl of spinach- pesto spaghetti. Unlike basil, baby spinach is available year- round, it’s cheaper and requires no prep other than ripping open a bag. For a different take, swap the spinach for kale or silverbeet, and the pine nuts for almonds or walnuts! 500 grams spaghetti, or other pasta of choice 2 teaspoons cooking salt

SPINACH PESTO

4 tightly packed cups ( 200 grams) baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

½ cup ( 75 grams) pine nuts, toasted1

½ tightly packed cup

(50 grams) finely shredded Parmesan extra Parmesan, shaved or shredded, to serve baby spinach, to serve pine nuts, toasted, to serve 1¼ teaspoons cooking salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup (85ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Spinach Pesto: Place all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor – jam that spinach in, there’s a LOT of it! Blitz until the spinach is chopped into little pesto- sized bits.

Scrape the sides down as needed. With the motor running on low, pour in the oil in a thin stream. Pesto, done!

Spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with the salt as per the packet directions.

Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup (250ml) of the pasta cooking water. Drain the spaghetti, then return to the empty pot.

Add the pesto to the pot with ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta cooking water.

Toss well, using the extra water as needed to loosen. Serve immediately while hot, or let it cool and serve at room temperature like you would a pasta salad. Either way, garnish with Parmesan, baby spinach and pine nuts.

NOTES

1. Walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds are also great with baby spinach. Toast pumpkin seeds as you do pine nuts. For walnuts and almonds, toast in a 180°C (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, or until they smell nutty. Cool slightly, then roughly chop.

LEFTOVERS Fridge 2 days.