Creamy “Tuscan” Pasta
Here’s a recipe I tried out, it looked pretty good, but I made some additions and changed some things as I went. My little sister really liked it, and she’s picky, so I would say it was a success. Honestly my favorite part was the tomatoes and spinach popping, it was oddly satisfying. This pairs well with a seasoned chicken with similar spices and garlic breads, or a salad.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Cajun spice (optional)
1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
3 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar (optional)
1 1/2 c. tri-color Rotini noodles (might be more or less I don’t remember how much I put in…)
Directions:
Step One:
In a medium size pot bring water to a boil, then add your noodles, cook on medium-high heat until ready (typically 8-10 minutes)*.
*or just cook your noodles like you normally would :)
Step Two:
In a skillet (or small pot) melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt.
Step Three:
Stir in heavy cream and parmesan (and sharp cheddar if you choose)* and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes.
*it helps to stir in cheese slowly bit by bit
Step Four:
Add noodles to the sauce mixture, mix together until covered (if you want it to be creamier add more heavy cream). Serve.
Try this recipe out for yourself and tell me in the comments what you thought or how it turned out :)
