Creamy leek and parsley pasta
I seem to be a little obsessed with ricotta lately. After using it the other day in my spinach and ricotta strudel, I remembered how amazing it is and bought myself another tub! In fact there’s still a bit left so I’m sure you’ll be seeing it again soon, I’m that predictable. Please don’t get bored of me.
This time I used it to make creamy leek and parsley pasta – simply sautéed vegetables with ricotta and parmesan to make it nice and gooey. Ricotta is such an easy way to transform sautéed vegetables into a creamy, milky sauce. When you add a little grated parmesan it becomes even gooier (gooeyer? Is that even a thing? They both look so wrong). Using ricotta is much easier than making a white sauce from scratch which, although it’s easy, does take a little more effort.
This pasta recipe is seriously simple (surely you’ve come to expect that from me by now?). It’s the sort of thing you can throw together with just a few fridge ingredients. Who needs 30 minute dinner ideas when you can have a 15 minute dinner?
Plus, just look at how pretty it is! I must admit I went a little overboard on the photos for this recipe – apologies if you have slow internet! Who knew that just a few ingredients could produce such a beautifully creamy, cheesy dish? The mildness of the ricotta allows all the flavours of the veg to shine – often the subtle flavour of spinach and leek get a bit overwhelmed, but when they’re paired with the ricotta they’re each able to be appreciated. I’d kind of forgotten what the flavour of spinach actually is, but now I remember! Hallelujah!
I quite liked how this was all green, but feel free to add any other veg you have lying around (mushrooms would be great). I’m a big advocate of the fridge-clearer recipe, especially since my fiancé and I accidentally turned the fridge off the other day… luckily we realised before anything was ruined, but it did make me realise how much I love recipes that allow you to use everything up in one go in case of emergencies! Other favourites: frittatas, soups, stews.
- 160g pasta
- 90g leek, halved lengthwise then sliced (around half a medium leek)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 75g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 4tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 125g ricotta cheese
- 50g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
- 2tbsp milk
- Pinch nutmeg
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Boil the pasta until al dente.
- Meanwhile, cook the leek and garlic over a medium-low heat for several minutes, until soft and translucent (I just sautéed mine in a little water, but you could use a dash of oil if you prefer). Add the spinach and parsley, and cook for a couple more minutes, until wilted.
- Turn the heat down to low, and add the ricotta and parmesan. Mix well until the parmesan has melted – if you need to add a dash of milk to help it come together into a sauce, do so.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, and then add the drained pasta. Mix well, and serve immediately.
This dish tasted good, but I had trouble with the sauce. All the greens congealed into one big blob and it was hard to distribute it over the pasta, eventually it stayed separated into several pieces. Granted, ricotta isn’t available where I live and I used cream cheese and some milk, but I doubt that that’s the reason. Very much a comfort food. I also used whole grain pasta :)
Have made this twice already and it is delicious! used some arugula instead of spinach cause it’s just what I had and threw in some walnuts to add a bit of crunch. Yum.
Walnuts sound like a fantastic addition! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe :) thanks for your message!
wow I feel like this would be so full of flavor!!
I so want a bowl of this pasta like now! It looks like pure comfort food, but with a healthier kick! My family loves pasta and we’re always looking for more vegetarian pasta recipes. Pinned! xoxo, Jackie
I need to work with leeks more. I tend to ignore them. This looks like an excellent recipe to try them :)
Wow this looks perfectly creamy and delicious. Can’t wait to try this!
Wow that looks like an absolutely incredible pasta dish. Great job :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
I agree wholeheartedly on your ricotta loving! I’m obsessed with the stuff- do you ever make your own? I was buying it so often that venturing into making it myself was a must. It’s incredible with pasta, and you’re right- your photos here are gorgeous :)
Thanks Ruthy! :) Ooh no I haven’t tried making my own actually, it’s always seemed fairly straightforward though so maybe I should give it a go!