Columnist Seiran Sinjari is back with a delicious 15-minutes spinach and lemon pasta recipe. Her biweekly recipe column All About the Veg! is all about highlighting the versatility of vegetables by shining a spotlight on a different one in each of her articles. Today’s star vegetable is spinach.
Leafy greens, anyone?
Need to eat your greens? I got you! Leafy lush greens are in season and they’re anything but boring. Not only does the spinach give this easy Spinach & Lemon Pasta a beautiful vibrant green color and delicious flavor, spinach is also loaded with nutrients and it’s a great source of iron. We’re adding lemon for a refreshing zesty flavor but the vitamin C from the lemon will actually also help our bodies to absorb the iron in the spinach.
A fuss-free recipe just for you
This is a fuss-free recipe that you can whip together in no time, yet it’s so flavorful and well-balanced with only a few ingredients. If you don’t feel like giving the blanched spinach an ice bath you can totally skip that step, the pasta will simply turn a bit darker green.
The Recipe: 15 Minute Spinach & Lemon Pasta
I’m keeping it short and sweet with this week’s simple pasta so let’s get to the recipe!
What You’ll need
- Spinach
- Lemon, zest and juice
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast)
- Salt & pepper
- Roasted pine nuts
- Pasta of your choice (make sure it’s egg-free!)
How to make this recipe
Step one: cook the pasta
Cook the pasta in accordance with the package instructions, reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
Step two: blanch the spinach
Blanch the spinach by placing it in boiling water until it’s just wilted. Immediately place the spinach in ice water, you can use a slotted spoon for this. When the spinach has cooled, drain it and squeeze out a little more water by forming the spinach into a ball and squeeze it between your hands.
Step three: blend the sauce
Blend the spinach with garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast), salt and pepper.
Step four: bring everything together
Mix the spinach with the pasta, adding a little of the pasta water to make it creamier if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Step five: garnish, serve, and enjoy!
Top with pine nuts, vegan parmesan, lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
15-Minute Spinach and Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces spinach - 150 grams
- 1 lemon - zested & half of the lemon juiced
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil - about 50 mL
- 4 tablespoons vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons roasted pine nuts
- 8.8 ounces dry pasta - 250 grams
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in accordance with the package instructions, reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
- Blanch the spinach by placing it in boiling water until it’s just wilted.
- Immediately place the spinach in ice water, you can use a slotted spoon for this. When the spinach has cooled, drain it and squeeze out a little more water by forming the spinach into a ball and squeeze it between your hands.
- Blend the spinach with garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast), salt and pepper.
- Mix the spinach with the pasta, adding a little of the pasta water to make it creamier if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with pine nuts, vegan parmesan, lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Recipe, text, and photography by Seiran Sinjari.
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