If you like creamed spinach, you will like this sauce. That being said, this is much plainer than creamed spinach and quite healthy -- no cheese or cream, very little butter. Freshly ground nutmeg is what makes this dish really tasty!
I have been eating a lot of highly seasoned and/or spicy food recently, and I wanted something simple tonight, yet still tasty. This fit the bill and gave me a healthy dose of my leafy greens at the same time.
This makes about a cup of sauce. Use any remaining after making pasta whisked into scrambled eggs.
3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and roughly drained
1/3 white onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsps butter
1 portion of your favorite pasta
Freshly ground nutmeg
Put salted water on to boil for your pasta.
While the water is heating, heat the oil in a skillet. As soon as it shimmers, add the onion and the garlic. Cook over low, stirring constantly for a few minutes until the onion has started to soften.
Add the spinach to the pan, a handful at a time, stirring to combine with the onion and allowing the spinach to wilt. The water remaining on the leaves should be enough moisture for the spinach to wilt easily, If not, add a teaspoon of water to the pan.
As soon as all of the spinach is wilted, tip the contents of the pan into a blender, along with the butter. Just add the butter as is, you do not need to melt it. That being said, melting it and letting it turn a golden nutty brown before adding to the blender would give this dish a whole other dimension of flavor.
Set the blender aside until needed and prepare your pasta. Add it to the water as soon as it comes to a rolling boil. Use your favorite pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.
A minute before the pasta is ready, measure out half a cup of the pasta water to the blender and blitz the spinach into a sauce.
Check for seasoning. I felt that the salt from the pasta water was enough, you may want more.
Drain the pasta and pour back into the pan, along with half a cup of the spinach sauce. Stir to combine well. Grate a generous amount of nutmeg into the pan and stir to combine.
Serve at once, preferably in a heated bowl.
