Pappardelle pasta with baby spinach, herbs and ricotta

Pappardelle? yes, Pappardelle. This is a wide-ribbon pasta that, until Trader Joe's come to town, I couldn't not find anywhere else, so I used penne pasta instead. This is what it looks like, with the help of lovely Instagram to add some flair to it

This is a fun, delicious and nutritious way to eat pasta, spinach and fresh herbs. I got this one from Cooking Light magazine, April 2011.

Ingredients
8 oz uncooked pappardelle pasta
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup skim-milk ricotta cheese
3 cups ( or more, if you are Popeye) of baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill ( the game changer of this recipe :))
3 tbsp of grated Pecorino Romano
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions
Start by cooking pasta, with salt. When ready, drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Add ricotta cheese to 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and mix it by hand well, until blended. Combine hot pasta, cheese mixture, spinach, Pecorino, herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix it well. If needed, add the other 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to moisten. I usually don't need this other 1/2 cup.

This makes for a very yummy, healthy pasta. Lots of leftover, as the pasta is plenty plenty for two.

Here is a picture, with lots of Instagram flair.

For those of you with the July monthly menu, I have changed the order a bit, but promise I will cook all the recipes in the menu. Tomorrow night, instead of the quesadillas, I am going for a healthier option of Scallops in Pappillote.

Email me if you'd like the menu and shopping list :)