Penne is the plural of the Italian ‘penna’ which comes from the Latin ‘penna’ meaning ‘pen or feather’. So penne pasta is pasta like a pen or quill shape with a sharp nib. The shape of the penne works wonderfully well in retaining the sauces inside its cylinder shape. This creamy spinach and peas penne is ready within minutes and tastes absolutely delicious. I love fire roasted tomatoes. They have a smoky flavor that adds a level of depth to the dish which otherwise using regular tomatoes would not. This easy recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a large crowd with minimal hassle @sarchakra
COOK TIME: 30 mins
PREP TIME: 5 mins
YIELDS: Serves or makes 5
Ingredients
- Penne pasta bronze cut 16 oz
- Olive oil 3 tbsp and 1 tbsp (for when boiling the pasta)
- Salt
- Spinach 2 cups
- Garlic 2 tbsp, finely chopped
- Chipotle chili peppers 1 tbsp
- Fire roasted tomato 1 can
- Frozen peas 1 cup
- Cream 5 tbsp
- Cream cheese 4 oz
Method
- Purée the fire roasted tomatoes in a blender. Set aside.
- Heat water. Let it come to a boil. Add pasta, salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook pasta for 13 mins till el dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain the rest. Set the drained pasta aside.
- Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped garlic. Let it turn golden. Add the fire roasted tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add cream. Let it cook for 5 minutes till the oil starts to float. Add the spinach. Let it wilt.
- Next, add in the cooked pasta. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and microwave it for 15 seconds. Add the cream cheese to the pasta along with the pasta water you reserved.
- Season with chipotle chili peppers. Put in the frozen peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Remove from heat once the sauce comes together. Serve.
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