Red Spinach, Tomato & Feta Pasta
Looking for an easy way to cook with red spinach? This simple pasta brings together red spinach, sweet cherry tomatoes, garlic and feta for a colourful midweek meal that can be ready in around 25 minutes.
Red spinach is the familiar name we use for red amaranth, also known as lal shak. The young leaves can be cooked much like other leafy greens, which makes them easy to add to everyday dishes.
Serves: 2
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Ingredients
180g pasta
100g young red spinach/red amaranth leaves
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
75g feta, crumbled
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon
Pinch of dried chilli flakes, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
Small handful of microgreens to finish, optional
Method
Cook the pasta. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Before draining, reserve about 100ml of the pasta water.
Cook the tomatoes. While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 4–5 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic. Stir in the sliced garlic and chilli flakes, if using, and cook for about one minute. Avoid letting the garlic burn.
Add the red spinach. Add the red spinach leaves and cook gently for 1–2 minutes, just until they soften.
Bring everything together. Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss everything together until the pasta is lightly coated.
Finish the dish. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, add black pepper and scatter over the feta.
Serve. Divide between two bowls and, if using, finish with a small handful of fresh microgreens immediately before serving.
Why red spinach works in pasta
Red amaranth can be treated as a versatile leafy ingredient rather than something reserved for one particular cuisine. Cooking the leaves briefly makes this an easy introduction for someone who has never tried red spinach before. Tomatoes, garlic, feta and lemon provide familiar flavours around it, while its red-purple leaves add natural colour to the finished dish.
Easy variations
For a vegan version, replace the feta with your preferred plant-based alternative.
For additional protein, add grilled chicken or chickpeas.
For a café or restaurant dish, finish individual portions with micro basil or micro red amaranth just before serving.
You can also replace the pasta with wholewheat pasta or another shape you already have in the cupboard.
Discover WeGrow Farms
WeGrow Farms is developing UK-grown red amaranth and speciality microgreens in Kent, with planned production being shaped around buyer demand. Chefs, restaurants, wholesalers, distributors, veg-box businesses and other food buyers interested in future supply can register their requirements with WeGrow Farms.