Pecan Spinach Pasta
This recipe can be a stand-alone meal; it's also good cold as a leftover. It sometimes turns out a bit dry.
Ingredients
- 500 grams pasta (ideally penne)
- 3 generous tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 onion (ideally red), sliced
- ¾ cup pecan halves
- 1 pack of frozen spinach, or, better, a moderate amount of fresh spinach
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup feta cheese or feta substitute (optional)
Method
- Bring a pan of water to a boil and once it has a good rolling boil, put in the pasta. Start checking it about 2 minutes before the amount of time specified on the package by tasting a piece. A commonly held ideal for pasta is that it should be al dente, which means a tiny, tiny bit undercooked, rather than soft and mushy; it does not mean raw. Drain the pasta once it's done.
- While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic in a cold skillet. Put them on medium heat.
- After a brief amount of time, add the onion slices.
- Once the onion is slightly browned, add the pecan halves and sauté them for two minutes.
- Add the spinach.
- Once the spinach is done, add salt.
- Put the sauce on the drained pasta and serve.
Notes
- If frozen spinach is used, consider steaming it quickly before using it in this recipe.