Description
A quick and comforting 15-minute Super Green Rigatoni recipe featuring a vibrant spinach and parmesan sauce, topped with crispy chili oil breadcrumbs for added texture and flavor. Perfect for a nutritious weeknight meal that everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 tablespoon chili oil (or olive oil)
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 anchovies (or 2 teaspoons white miso paste)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 9oz/250g spinach leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1oz/30g parmesan + 2 tablespoons to serve
- 1 tablespoon salt
Pasta
- 7oz/200g rigatoni (or any pasta shape of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon salt (for pasta water)
- 1 tablespoon chili oil (for drizzling)
Instructions
- Toast Breadcrumbs: Add 1 tablespoon of chili oil to a small pan over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes until golden brown and toasty. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
- Prepare Sauce Base: In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add diced onion and 1 teaspoon salt, cooking for a couple of minutes until soft and translucent. Add sliced garlic and anchovies (or miso paste), breaking down the anchovies to dissolve them into the oil. Stir for another minute.
- Cook Pasta: While preparing the sauce, fill a large pot two-thirds full with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes, following package instructions. Reserve some pasta cooking water before draining.
- Cook Spinach: Add the spinach to the pan with the onion mixture. Stir for about a minute until the spinach darkens and wilts, releasing water.
- Blend Sauce: Transfer the spinach and onion mixture to a blender. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice, parmesan, and about a ladleful of pasta cooking water. Blend until very smooth, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve a silky sauce.
- Toss Pasta and Sauce: Return the green sauce to the pan. Add the cooked rigatoni directly from the pot. Toss well to coat the pasta evenly. Adjust thickness with additional pasta water if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and extra grated parmesan if desired.
- Serve: Divide the pasta between plates. Drizzle with ½ tablespoon chili oil, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and crispy toasted breadcrumbs. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Use any wilting greens or vegetables you have on hand to add extra nutrients and flavor.
- Substitute anchovies with white miso paste to keep the recipe vegetarian-friendly.
- The reserved pasta water is key for achieving a creamy, smooth sauce without adding cream.
- To save time, boil water in an electric kettle before adding it to the pot for cooking pasta.
- For a spicier dish, adjust the amount of chili oil according to your heat preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 599 calories
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 1214.8 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 93.8 g
- Fiber: 7.3 g
- Protein: 25.6 g
- Cholesterol: 13.6 mg
