Creamy Popeye Pasta

Growing up I always LOVED my aunt's pesto recipe. I used to be able to tolerate the accidental nut or two when I was younger so it wasn't until I was a bit older that I realized I'm allergic to pine nuts and I can't have traditional style pesto!! Lucky for me, pine nuts aren't the real flavor hero of the recipe unlike the crucial and potent garlic and basil components...so it's very easy to omit the pine nuts and still end up with something that tastes very similar to pesto!

A few house keeping notes:

• Measuring leaves is hard. If you're finding that your two cups of spinach and 6-7 basil leaves isn't blending as nicely with the 1/4 cup olive oil, add more olive oil in and adjust because the amount of greens you packed into that cup might be more or less than the exact amount I used.
• The first time I made this recipe I used TONS of green herbs -- so if you want to experiment and add in some more flavors, go for it!! Cilantro, chives and parsley all are great options. I sometimes make this dish with kale but since kale is a bit thicker I usually remove the stems and blanch or massage the kale in order to soften it up a bit for easier blending.
• For a healthier version, you could skip the cream!! (I also think a spoonful of greek yogurt would be amazing mixed in instead of cream as well.) Actually, the recipe without the cream is something I eat often, it's my "Popeye Pasta" recipe that I developed a few years back.

What you need:

• 1/2 lb (1/2 standard box) pasta of choice
• 1 cup grated parm
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 6-7 large basil leaves
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice according to the package instructions.
2. ​Add the parm, garlic, basil, spinach, EVOO and lemon juice to a food processor and blend until fully combined and smooth. (If the sauce looks too thick you can loosen it up with more EVOO.)
3. Transfer the sauce to a skillet slowly and add the cream in, one half cup at a time. Whisk to combine each time and cook on low. It can simmer for a while while the pasta finished up cooking!
4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and taste. If you didn't salt your pasta water in the beginning step, it may need additional sodium.
5. Top with fresh parm and or burrata cheese and more pepper before serving! Good hot or cold as a pasta salad!