Spinach Artichoke Whole-Wheat Penne
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 648
- Total Fat
- 16
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 104
- Dietary Fiber
- 12
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 24
- Cholesterol
- 4
- Sodium
- 837
- Total: 35 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 20 min
Ingredients
1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (15-ounce) can or 1 (10-ounce) box frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted, drained and quartered
1 small bundle farm fresh spinach, stems trimmed
1 shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, just eyeball the amount
A handful fresh mint leaves
A handful lightly toasted slivered almonds
Kosher salt or freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
1 large clove garlic - peeled
A handful grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
- Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up it up to a boil to cook the pasta, season with some salt and cook to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add artichokes to heat through and lightly brown at edges.
- To clean spinach, fill sink with water, swish spinach around and let grit fall to bottom of sink. Dry leaves before using.
- In the bowl of a food processor add the shallot, 1/2 cup chicken stock, spinach leaves, mint, almonds and salt and pepper, to taste. If you have a hand held small-holed grater or a zester, grate garlic into the food processor. Adding a whole clove can result in stray big pieces of raw garlic, too bitter to bite down on. If you do not have a hand held grater, mince garlic and mash up into paste with a little salt. Turn processor on and add in about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
- Scrape the spinach pesto into the artichoke pan and loosely cover with foil. Bring mixture to a simmer over low to medium-low heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking water, the pasta and the cheese. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.