Serves:
About the Recipe
This is one of those pasta dishes that makes a great side with almost any protein; people are always going back for seconds.
Ingredients
1 lb. of uncooked Orecchiette or Fusilli
24 oz. (2 bunches) fresh spinach rinsed, squeezed well and chopped or 2 (10 oz.) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed well of excess liquid
1/3 cup olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. pepperoncino (Calabrian red pepper chili flakes)
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook approximately 7-8 minutes, just before it is al dente. Stir in chopped spinach and wait until water returns to a boil.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan. Stir in the garlic and pepperoncino. Cook uncovered just until garlic turns opaque, approximately 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to brown garlic or it will become bitter.
Drain pasta spinach mixture and return to pot.
Add the garlic mixture to the pot with the pasta and spinach. Stir in the lemon juice and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Toss well without breaking up the pasta.
Adjust seasoning and serve warm or room temperature as pasta salad.