This delicious and easy Buddy’s Spinach Pici Pasta from Jamie Oliver is a simple yet hearty dish. With creamy pumpkin sauce and fresh spinach-infused pici pasta, it’s a nutritious and quick meal. You can easily adapt the ingredients, making it perfect for a flexible weeknight dinner or special occasion!
Ingredients Needed
- 200g (7 oz) baby spinach
- 300g (2 ½ cups) Tipo ’00’ or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 600g (1 ¼ lbs) pumpkin or butternut squash
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 banana shallots
- 1 red chilli (optional)
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- Olive oil
- 40g (1 ½ oz) Parmesan cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
How To Make Buddy’s Spinach Pici Pasta
- Make the Pici: In a food processor, blitz the spinach and flour until a dough ball forms. It should be the consistency of playdough—add a little more flour if needed. Tear off 2cm (about 10g) balls of dough and roll them into long, thin sausages (the size of fine green beans). Place them on a floured tray to prevent drying out.
- Prepare the Sauce: In the same food processor (no need to clean), blitz the pumpkin or squash chunks, saving the seeds for toasting. Add the garlic, shallots, optional chilli, rosemary, and sage leaves. Pulse until everything is combined.
- Cook the Sauce: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the squash mixture and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add 2 ladlefuls of boiling water and bring to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes.
- Cook the Pici: When the sauce is nearly ready, add the pici to the boiling salted water. Fresh pici will cook in about 5 minutes, while dried pici will take 8-10 minutes. Check for an al dente texture.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Drain the pasta, saving a mugful of cooking water. Stir most of the grated Parmesan into the sauce until melted, loosening with some pasta water if necessary. Toss the pici in the sauce to coat.
- Toast the Pumpkin Seeds: Place a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds until golden.
- Serve: Divide the pasta between plates, drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling the remaining Parmesan on top. Finish with the toasted pumpkin seeds.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh spinach: Fresh spinach will give the pici pasta its vibrant green color and a lovely flavor. Frozen spinach can be used, but make sure to drain it well.
- Don’t overcook the pici: Fresh pici cooks quickly, usually in about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure it stays al dente for the perfect texture.
- Add pasta water to the sauce: If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a little pasta cooking water. This helps create a silky, smooth consistency.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds well: Toasting the seeds until golden enhances their nutty flavor. Don’t skip this step—it adds a crunchy texture that complements the dish.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: Let the leftover pasta cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: After cooling, place the pasta in an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 1 month. To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Heat the pasta in a pan over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, adding a splash of water or olive oil to loosen the sauce. Stir occasionally until it’s heated through.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1/6 of the recipe)
- Calories: 303
- Total Fat: 8.7g
- Saturated Fa1t: 2.2g
- Total Carbohydrate: 44.2g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.3g
- Sugars: 6.2g
- Protein: 12.7g
Try More Jamie Oliver Recipes:
- Jamie Oliver One-pan Veggie Lasagne
- Jamie Oliver Scruffy Veg Lasagne
- Jamie Oliver Leftover Get-ahead Gravy Scruffy Lasagne
- Jamie Oliver Aubergine And Courgette Lasagne
Jamie Oliver Buddy’s Spinach Pici Pasta
Description
This delicious and easy Buddy’s Spinach Pici Pasta from Jamie Oliver is a simple yet hearty dish. With creamy pumpkin sauce and fresh spinach-infused pici pasta, it’s a nutritious and quick meal. You can easily adapt the ingredients, making it perfect for a flexible weeknight dinner or special occasion!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the Pici: In a food processor, blitz the spinach and flour until a dough ball forms. It should be the consistency of playdough—add a little more flour if needed. Tear off 2cm (about 10g) balls of dough and roll them into long, thin sausages (the size of fine green beans). Place them on a floured tray to prevent drying out.
- Prepare the Sauce: In the same food processor (no need to clean), blitz the pumpkin or squash chunks, saving the seeds for toasting. Add the garlic, shallots, optional chilli, rosemary, and sage leaves. Pulse until everything is combined.
- Cook the Sauce: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the squash mixture and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add 2 ladlefuls of boiling water and bring to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes.
- Cook the Pici: When the sauce is nearly ready, add the pici to the boiling salted water. Fresh pici will cook in about 5 minutes, while dried pici will take 8-10 minutes. Check for an al dente texture.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Drain the pasta, saving a mugful of cooking water. Stir most of the grated Parmesan into the sauce until melted, loosening with some pasta water if necessary. Toss the pici in the sauce to coat.
- Toast the Pumpkin Seeds: Place a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds until golden.
- Serve: Divide the pasta between plates, drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling the remaining Parmesan on top. Finish with the toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- Use fresh spinach: Fresh spinach will give the pici pasta its vibrant green color and a lovely flavor. Frozen spinach can be used, but make sure to drain it well.
- Don’t overcook the pici: Fresh pici cooks quickly, usually in about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure it stays al dente for the perfect texture.
- Add pasta water to the sauce: If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a little pasta cooking water. This helps create a silky, smooth consistency.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds well: Toasting the seeds until golden enhances their nutty flavor. Don’t skip this step—it adds a crunchy texture that complements the dish.
Jamie Oliver Buddy’s Spinach Pici Pasta