There has been many a pasta dish that has come to my rescue when a hurried midweek meal was needed “pronto”. The most versatile of dishes, pastas are found in shapes and sizes, creamy and cheesy or rich and red and luscious. A personal favourite of our family is the creamy spinach and anchovy pasta. It has the right amount of cheese to satisfy the kids, a bit of green to soothe my parental worries about healthy eating and the salty anchovies balances out all the flavours, leaving fireworks in every bite! 

Ingredients 

· ½ lb. penne pasta 
· 1 small onion 
· 2 cloves garlic 
· 1 tbsp olive oil 
· 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes 
· ½ tsp dried oregano 
· ½ tsp dried basil 
· Pinch of red pepper flakes 
· ½ tsp salt 
· Freshly cracked pepper to taste 
· 2 tbsp tomato paste 
· 2 oz. cream cheese 
· ¼ cup grated Parmesan 
· ½ (9 oz.)  fresh spinach 
· Anchovies grounded into a paste 

Instructions 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender. Drain the pasta in a colander. 
While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes). 

Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce. 

Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan. Anchovies paste and whisk until melted in again. 

Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm. 

By Mayuri Jayasinghe