Creamy Spinach Pasta Delight

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine

02 - Salt, to taste for boiling water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil

04 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

05 - 7 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped

06 - 1 cup heavy cream

07 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

08 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

09 - ¼ tsp black pepper

10 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

11 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

12 - Freshly ground black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.

02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add finely minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

03 - Add chopped spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

04 - Reduce heat to low. Pour in heavy cream and stir to combine. Allow to simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes.

05 - Stir in grated Parmesan, ground nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

06 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet, tossing to coat evenly with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency.

07 - Plate immediately and garnish with additional grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

# Expert Tips:

01 -

It comes together in under thirty minutes, which means weeknight dinner without the takeout guilt.
That nutmeg in the cream sauce sounds strange until you taste it, and then you'll wonder how you ever made spinach pasta without it.
The pasta water trick keeps everything silky instead of heavy, so you actually want seconds.

02 -

Don't skip reserving that pasta water; it's the difference between a sauce that coats pasta and one that glues it into a clump.
The nutmeg amount seems laughably small until you accidentally double it and realize nutmeg can take over a whole dish.

03 -