Spinach, garlic and pine nut pasta salad

September has started really warm here in southern England. That means I'm having a small break from all the roasted vegetable dishes, pies etc. and making just a fresh pasta salad today. This is an ideal lunch to take with you to work or studies, I find. This is also an easy one to variate depending on what you have in your cupboards. Have a look!

Ingredients

250 g farfalle pasta

100 g spinach

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

40 g pine nuts

30 g vegetarian pasta cheese

A few fresh basil leaves

Salt

Ground black pepper

Grated nutmeg

Method

Boil the pasta soft. I normally boil it a little bit softer than I would for a warm bowl of pasta. Otherwise when cooled, the pasta might be too firm. After boiling rinse the pasta with cold water and drain.

Chop the garlic finely and cook it soft in one tablespoon olive oil. Add the spinach and one or two tablespoons water and wilt the spinach. This takes only a few minutes. Let the pan contents cool.

Toast the pine nuts in the oven or on a dry pan.

Combine the pasta with the spinach garlic mix and the pine nuts. Season the salad with the rest of the olive oil, fresh basil leaves, salt, ground black pepper and grated nutmeg. Grate the vegetarian pasta cheese and add it to the salad.

Done!

Your VegHog