SPINACH ALFREDO PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat pasta	1 cup
Spinach	¾ cup – chopped
Butter	2 tbsp
Oats flour	2 tbsp
Full-cream milk	½ cup
Salt	As per taste
Black pepper powder	¼ tsp
Red chili flakes	¼ tsp
Italian seasoning	1 tsp

METHOD:

• Boil the pasta as per package instructions. Drain the water and keep the pasta aside. Also reserve ¼ cup of pasta water.
• In a pan, add the chopped spinach and saute until it wilts. The spinach should retain the color. Keep aside the sautéed spinach.
• In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of butter and as the butter melts, add 2 tbsp of oats flour and mix until a nice aroma comes.  It will take approximately 1 min. The oats flour shouldn’t burn.
• Slowly add in the milk part by part and whisk continuously so that a smooth sauce is formed. Allow it to boil for 2-3 mins so that the sauce thickens.
• Add the sautéed spinach, salt, black pepper powder, red chili flakes and crushed Italian seasonings. Mix everything well.
• Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding 1-2 tbsp of pasta water if required.  Now add the cooked pasta and mix well so that the pasta is well coated in sauce. Remove from heat.
• Serve the pasta hot and garnish with extra red chili flakes if needed.
• Note: 
• Grind any quick-cooking oats into fine powder in a blender jar to get oats flour. All purpose flour can also be used instead of oats flour.
• Heavy cream and cheese can also be added along with milk to get an extra rich taste. If using heavy cream, use ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup of heavy cream. 1-2 tbsps of any cheese can also be added while the sauce is thickening.