Il Cucinologo
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Creamy Tricolor Spaghetti

17/11/2023

Creamy Tricolor Spaghetti is a dish that combines the flavor of pasta with a cream in colors reminiscent of the Italian flag. The recipe I propose involves the use of typically Italian ingredients to create a visually appealing and tasty dish.

Ingredients

  • 320 g spaghetti
  • 200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 100 g fresh spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 200 ml cooking cream or plant-based alternative
  • 150 g mozzarella or similar cheese that melts easily
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh basil for garnish

Preparation

  1. Wash the cherry tomatoes and spinach. Halve the cherry tomatoes and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, sauté one garlic clove with a drizzle of oil and add the cherry tomatoes. Cook until they become soft and form a sauce. Season with salt and pepper. When ready, remove the garlic and blend the cherry tomatoes to obtain a smooth cream. If too thick, add a bit of pasta cooking water.
  3. In another skillet, repeat the process with the other garlic clove and the spinach, adding a little water to help cooking. Blend the spinach as well to obtain a green cream.
  4. In a non-stick skillet, add the cream and heat it without bringing it to a boil. Add the cheese cut into pieces and stir until it melts, obtaining a white cream. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente, following the package instructions.
  6. Drain the spaghetti and divide them into three equal parts, then mix each part with one of the prepared creams, so as to have a portion of red spaghetti, one of green spaghetti, and one of white spaghetti.
  7. Serve the spaghetti alternating the colors to recreate the tricolor appearance of the dish. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Trivia

This dish is a tribute to the colors of the Italian flag and can be a great idea to celebrate national festive events or during sporting events where you want (at the table) to cheer for Italy. For an even more gourmet touch, it is possible to add chopped fresh basil to the tomato and spinach creams during their preparation.