The large bag of prewashed babyspinach was a revelation when I moved to the USA- spinach without the dirt, the bugs, the need to remove large veins- it was wonderful. Despite my environmental concerns- it’s been a grocery staple ever since. The Monterey farms grilled artichoke hearts are not always available, but when they are, I always buy extra and freeze them. They are fantastic. I’m all for shortcuts that taste as good as the real thing

For this pasta- prep work involves crushing and peeling 3-4 cloves of garlic and opening up packets. My favorite sauces cook in the time required to boil water and cook the pasta. This makes it a perfect lunch or weeknight dinner pasta.

First – boil some water for the pasta and in another pan, heat about a tbsp of butter – add the 3-4 crushed garlic cloves as the butter heats up. No need to peel them. Dump the entire large bag of spinach in the hot butter and wilt those leaves. Next blend the spinach, the garlic cloves with a cup of vegetable stock (I used better than bouillon- my current base of choice).

In the same pan, add another tbp of butter and brown the chopped grilled artichoke hearts. Add a glug of wine to deglaze the pan and then pour the spinach mixture back. Add the pasta to the now boiling water. Simmer the sauce for the 10-12 minutes it takes to cook the pasta. Finish the sauce with some cream and some more butter if you are feeling decadent. Taste for salt and pepper.

This tastes delicious with parmesan but I served it today topped with some dollops of ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper.