Fettuccine with Spinach, Butter, and Cream

10 oz Fresh spinach, trimmed, washed and dried
4 Tbs butter
1/2 c. cream (heavy, light or half-and-half)
1 lb. spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Chop spinach coarsely. Over medium heat melt 2 Tbs of the butter in a large skillet that can later be covered.  Add the spinach along with some salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cover, reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is very tender, about 10 minutes.  Uncover and add the cream, and cook gently for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta util it is tender but firm.  When it is just about done, put the remaining butter in a large warm bowl and add a couple tablespoons of the cooking water.  Drain the pasta and toss it with the butter and half of the Parmesan a\Add the Spinach sauce and serve, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.


I got this recipe a few years back from a recipe-a-day calendar from Ben's mom and finally got around to making it a few months back.  It has become or go to meal when we really don't want to cook because it is fast.  I cook the spinach in our cast iron skillet that doesn't have a lid and always forget about covering it, but it turns out just fine.  The nutmeg is my addition to the recipe as I've had other Italian dishes that use it with spinach and we really enjoy the flavor.