Cheesy leek & spinach pasta

Comfort food at its best – penne with a blue cheese and tomato cream sauce with added vegetables

  • Ready in 25-35 minutes
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 808
  • fat 35g
  • saturates 18g
  • carbs 103g
  • sugars 0g
  • fibre 9g
  • protein 27g
  • salt 2.03g

Ingredients

  • good knob of butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large leeks, total weight about 450g/1lb, thinly sliced
  • 500g packets penne rigate or your favourite pasta shape
  • 200ml tub crème fraîche
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 125g packet Danish blue cheese, roughly diced
  • 8 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced
  • 225g bag baby spinach leaves

Method

  1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan, tip in the leeks and splash in a little hot water. Cover and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until no longer squeaky.

  2. While the leeks are cooking, boil the penne in salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, tip the crème fraîche and mustard into the leeks, add three-quarters of the cheese and season well. Stir until the cheese melts. Take off the heat.

  3. Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the sauce and stir, adding enough cooking water to make the sauce coat the pasta. Stir in the spinach, a big handful at a time, until it wilts, splashing in a little more water if needed. Toss in the remaining cheese and serve.

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