Ingredients (~6 servings)
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 lbs pasta (rigatoni, rotini, or calamarata)
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into 3-inch florets
- 1 bunch spinach, rough ends trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for garnish
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds (or walnuts or pine nuts)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for garnish
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
- Black pepper to taste
Cook the Pasta and Set Aside
Bring a large Dutch oven of heavily salted water to a boil.
Cook the 1 1/2 lbs pasta until al dente according to package directions.
Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer to a medium bowl; toss with a drizzle of olive oil to avoid sticking.
Set aside and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water – keep the remaining water in the Dutch oven at a boil.
Blanch the Broccoli and Spinach
Fill a large bowl with ice water.
In the same pot of boiling water, add the broccoli florets and cook until lightly softened, ~3-4 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook until bright in color, ~30 seconds.
Remove the broccoli and spinach together and transfer to the ice bath; drain the boiling water from the Dutch oven.
Once cool enough to handle, wring out the vegetables – you want to remove as much water as possible so the sauce doesn’t get watery.
Blend the Green Sauce
Add the blanched greens to the bowl of a food processor along with the 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese, 3/4 cup Parm, 1/3 cup almonds, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Season to taste with salt and pepper – start with a big pinch of salt and adjust from there.
The sauce should be thick but pourable; if it’s too thick, you’ll thin it out later with pasta water.
Cook the Ground Chicken
In the same Dutch oven, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Season the 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken with salt and add to the pot.
Cook, occasionally breaking up the pieces with the back of a wooden spoon, until the chicken is no longer pink and fully cooked through, ~5-7 minutes.
You’re not looking for deep browning here – just cooked through.
Combine Everything and Adjust the Sauce
Reduce heat to medium low and add the cooked pasta, green sauce, and a splash of pasta water.
Mix to combine, creating a thin, glossy sauce that coats the pasta – add more pasta water as needed.
The cottage cheese and Parm make the sauce creamy, but the pasta water helps it cling to the noodles instead of being clumpy.
Spoon into bowls and serve immediately with more Parm, lemon zest, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Creamy Spinach and Broccoli Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 lbs pasta rigatoni, rotini, or calamarata
- 1 large head broccoli cut into 3-inch florets
- 1 bunch spinach rough ends trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus more for garnish
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds or walnuts or pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided, plus more for garnish
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large Dutch oven of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
- Remove pasta with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; toss with olive oil.
- Reserve 1 cup pasta water and keep remaining water boiling in the pot.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Add broccoli florets to boiling water and cook 3-4 minutes until lightly softened.
- Add spinach and cook 30 seconds until bright.
- Transfer broccoli and spinach to ice bath and drain the pot.
- Once cool, wring out vegetables thoroughly to remove excess water.
- Add blanched greens, cottage cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, almonds, 1 Tbsp olive oil, garlic cloves, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Season ground chicken with salt and add to pot.
- Cook 5-7 minutes, breaking up pieces occasionally, until fully cooked through.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add cooked pasta, green sauce, and a splash of pasta water.
- Mix to combine, adding more pasta water as needed to create a thin, glossy sauce.
- Spoon into bowls and serve immediately with additional Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon zest, and olive oil.
