Your New Midweek Go-To Meal

 

So, I just survived the wild adventure of moving house—like a game of Tetris, but with furniture! It's been a whirlwind of packing, unpacking, and playing a game of “Where Does This Go?” By the end of each day, I’ve been a total couch potato, too wiped out to even think about dinner.

But hey, moving isn’t cheap, so UberEats was off the table! I needed something simple and quick, and voilà—this pesto pasta was born from the little I had in the pantry. It was exactly what I needed to hit the spot harder than finding my favorite mug in a box labeled “Miscellaneous.” And was easier than deciding where to stash my collection of questionable knick-knacks.

Spinach, Basil & Pine Nut Pesto Pasta

Serves 2-3

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

 
 

Ingredients

300g dried pasta pasta something fairly small like orecchiette or trofie

30g unsalted butter

100g basil pesto

80g parmesan cheese, finely grated, divided

4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted, divided

120g baby leaf spinach

5-6 spring onions, ends trimmed (75g)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Place a large non stick frying pan on high heat. Add the spring onions and cook for about 3 minutes until charred on all sides. Leave to cool slightly and finely chop. Set aside.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Drop in the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 125ml of the pasta water. Place the pan on a low heat.

  3. Return the drained pasta to the pot and add the butter, pesto, 50g of the parmesan, 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, spinach, spring onions, the reserved pasta water and a good grind of black pepper. Stir well until the spinach has wilted and the pasta looks creamy and silky.

  4. Divide into bowls and sprinkle with the reserved parmesan and pine nuts.

 
THOMAS NEWFIELD