Last week, my son requested pasta with spinach sauce. I hadn’t made it for him in a few years and wasn’t sure if I still had the recipe. I decided that I would create my own recipe that was creamier than what I used to make.
To make this a multi-faceted recipe I made the base of the sauce similar to an alfredo. This way anyone who didn’t want spinach in her sauce could have her portion set aside before the spinach was added. Needless to say, this was a popular feature of this recipe for a certain 11 year old girl.
However, I had never made alfredo sauce from scratch before, so I did a little research as to the options for making it. I noticed that recipes either started with lots of butter or were made with lots of heavy cream. So, I decided to create a middle of the road recipe. I started with a small amount of butter, made a roux, and used whole milk. So, while this recipe wasn’t low fat, it wasn’t nearly as unhealthy as some of the recipes I had seen.
Everyone enjoyed this sauce in various forms. My daughter had plain alfredo sauce on pasta, my son and husband had spinach alfredo on spaghetti, and I had spinach alfredo on asparagus (an even lighter way of enjoying the sauce). Regardless to the manner in which it was served, we all enjoyed the combination of garlic, cheese, and creaminess. I am sure we will be making it again. However, next time we might try it without spinach but with broccoli or shrimp or chicken.
For a family favorite featuring spinach, try my recipe for spinach squares.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 packed cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 10-ounce pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic, stirring continuously for 2 minutes.
- Add flour, and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add milk, and whisk to combine.
- Continue to whisk until sauce thickens.
- Add parmesan, and whisk until smooth.
- Add spinach, stirring until warmed, and serve.
- Unsalted or salted butter can be used.
I have a recipe in my cookbook Stir, Laugh, Repeat using Spinach Alfredo. In this recipe I put it over chicken and rice and bake until bubbly. It’s wonderful!
Martha
YUM!!! Too rich/calorie high for me but i can tweak that, thanks for the recipe!
Yummy!! A little rich ~ but think I will have to try at least ONE time!!
This looks delicious!!! I can wait to try it:)
[…] and enjoy toppings besides marinara, our sister site, Tasty Thoughts, has a great option for you, Spinach Alfredo. Though not a health dish, this recipe definitely is a lighter version than you will find in many […]
[…] usually has several recipes a week that I enjoy trying. I found a recipe from back in April for a Spinach Alfredo sauce, which sounds terrific over pasta (or even rice!), but she served herself a portion over […]