Ricotta and Spinach Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauce is a really easy place to hide vegetables so that a fussy eater doesn’t notice their presence. This bright green sauce is bursting with nutrition without a hint of a recognisable vegetable. Everything gets blended in one go then the sauce is cooked as it’s stirred through cooked spaghetti. If you don’t have ricotta then you can use cottage cheese instead and, as always, you can spice it up with a pinch of chilli flakes in the blender. I love finishing off this dish with edible flowers because they pop against the green.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults
200g washed spinach
120g ricotta (or cottage cheese)
30g grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
125ml pasta water
salt and pepper
300g spaghetti
optional: edible flowers and finely chopped basil

• Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Whilst the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the sauce.
• Put the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, the zest and juice of one lemon, olive oil and 2 garlic cloves into a blender and blitz until you have a smooth sauce.
• Reserve 125ml of the pasta water then drain the cooked pasta and return to the pan on a medium heat and grind over generously with black pepper and a little salt.
• Pour the sauce over the spaghetti then add the pasta water and toss everything to combine. Allow to cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens slightly then serve and finish with chopped basil, extra grated parmesan and edible flowers.