I’ve made Pasta with Pesto a couple of weeks ago and I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve made it again the next day. After that I wondered how it will turn out if I’m using spinach, so I came up with Spinach Pesto Gemelli. I made that two times as well. It is a fast dish to make and I was in need of time these past weeks, being very busy with work. Thus, I’ve decided to share this recipe on my blog too, especially as this one is a more affordable version of the previous one, as I’ve used walnuts and spinach, new cheaper ingredients.

The sauce must complement the pasta, so chose intricate pasta for sauces that are smooth and big; pasta for sauces with chunky veggies. This is why I’ve made spinach pesto gemelli, as the gemelli are a great option for this kind of sauce. I mentioned that I was pressed for time. It took me about one minute to make the sauce. The spinach is raw, so it is a healthier option for pasta.

Gemelli means twins in Italian. The pasta looks like it was shaped from two strands, but actually it is made from a single s-shaped strand twisted into a spiral. It does look very cute and you might find it in the local supermarket. I like trying new shapes of pasta because they are so many, it would be a shame to have only one or two. The ones I bought were not vegan, as they contained eggs. So I’ve sprinkled grated cheddar on top. If I’m using vegan pasta, I’m not going to add cheese on top and make it a vegan meal.

Ingredients for 2 servings of Spinach Pesto Gemelli:

– 165g Gemelli
– 100g fresh spinach
– 1 clove of garlic
– 50g walnuts
– 50ml extra-virgin Olive oil
– sea salt
– white pepper
– 25g grated extra mature cheddar

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging. I boiled them for 9 minutes, so they were al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water so the cooking process stops.

While the pasta is boiling, you can prepare the spinach pesto. Wash the spinach in a collander and shake it to remove all the extra moisture. Put the walnuts in the small bowl of the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a hand blender.
Pour the olive oil, the crushed garlic, sea salt, white pepper, and the spinach leaves. Blitz until it becomes a paste. The sauce is ready to use for the pasta. Incorporate the pesto sauce into the Gemelli. Put the spinach pesto gemelli in the serving bowls. Decorate by sprinkling the grated cheddar on top, and serve.