Pasta with Creamy Spinach Sauce

5 ounces spinach, rinsed thoroughly

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, plus a few leaves for garnish

½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley

¼ cup shelled pistachios, unsalted

1 lemon, juiced

½ cup marscarpone or ricotta cheese

¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

12 ounces tagliatelle

1 cup pasta cooking water

Salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the spinach:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the spinach and boil it for 30 seconds. Transfer to an ice bath and set aside.

Note: You can leave the water boiling, add salt, and reuse it for the pasta. However, if you notice any bits of grit in the water, I recommend dumping it and filling the pot back up with fresh water, and bringing it to a boil for the pasta.

Sauté the onions and garlic:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until very soft.

Add the roughly chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and turn off the heat. Set aside.

Cook the pasta:

To the pot of boiling, salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.

Prepare the sauce:

Drain the spinach and squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible.

Place the basil, parsley, pistachios, spinach, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely minced. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and pulse again until incorporated.

Add the mascarpone, cooked onions and garlic, and ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano to the food processor along with a big pinch of salt. Pulse until smooth. Add half of the pasta water and continue blending until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.

Sauce the pasta:

Add the cooked pasta to the bowl of sauce. Toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking water as needed until the pasta is completely coated.

To serve:

Divide the pasta between shallow bowls. Garnish with the remaining grated parm and a few basil leaves. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like. Enjoy!