Radiatori with spinach and stracchino
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
577 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Radiatori with spinach and stracchino
Description
The dish starts by softly cooking fresh or frozen spinach without added liquids or fats, then chopping and sautéing it with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg, which adds warmth. Meanwhile, pasta cooks in boiling salted water, with reserved cooking water saved for adjusting sauce thickness. Stracchino cheese is mashed with milk to create a creamy base that can be loosened with pasta water. Removing the garlic from the spinach, the cheese cream is mixed in to blend flavors and textures. The pasta and optional cooked ham combine with this creamy spinach mixture to create a comforting, mild, and flavorful dish with a soft texture from the cheese and tender bites of spinach.
This pasta works well served warm as a light lunch or dinner. Variations in cheese or pasta shapes do not compromise the smooth creamy consistency characteristic of the recipe.
Substitution suggestions note that crescenza, mascarpone, or ricotta cheeses can replace stracchino effectively, and fusilli pasta is a suitable alternative to radiatori.
Ingredients
- 360 g radiatori pasta (12oz) or fusilli ( I use Rummo radiatori)
- 300 g spinach 10-11oz, fresh or frozen
- 200 g stracchino cheese (70z) or ricotta, mascarpone or crescenza
- 2 garlic peeled and crushed, cloves
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt to cook pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- ½ glass milk whole
- 150 g ham 5-6oz (optional, cooked
Instructions
- Cook the spinach on a medium heat in a covered pot until it has softened (do not add fats, water or salt). As soon as it is ready, drain and shake or press with your hands to remove the water.
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. When it starts to boil add salt and bring to the boil again.
- In the meantime, finely chop the spinach and cook it for a few minutes in a frying pan with 1-2 tablespoons of heated olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg and the crushed garlic.
- Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Before draining the pasta save a cup of the cooking water.
- Puree the stracchino together with 2 tablespoons of milk in a bowl. Add a little more milk and continue to mash until you have a creamy consistency. If you want it to be more liquidy, you can add some of the pasta cooking water. You can also use a hand held blender for this.
- Remove the garlic from the spinach and mix in the stracchino cream. Add black pepper to taste.
- Add the drained pasta to the cream and spinach. Mix well and serve with grated Parmesan if required.
- I also made this dish with cooked ham. Just cut the ham into small pieces and add it to the frying pan when you are cooking the spinach and garlic.
Notes
- Substitute stracchino with crescenza, mascarpone, or fresh ricotta if unavailable.
- Fusilli pasta works well as an alternative to radiatori.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 577 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 577kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 73g | 24% |
| Protein | 28g | 56% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 56mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 551mg | 23% |
| Potassium | 828mg | 18% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 7303IU | 146% |
| Vitamin C | 30mg | 33% |
| Calcium | 238mg | 24% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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