Pasta in spinach, white sauce

There are roughly 350 different shapes and varieties of dried pasta in Italy, even more counting regional differences. Shapes range from simple tubes to bow ties, to unique shapes like tennis rackets (racchette). By Italian law dried pasta must be made with 100% durum semolina flour and water, a practice that all but the worst quality pasta makers worldwide have since adhered to. 

Ingredients:

Pasta (Nutri-licious Passta from Nestle)    - 2 packets of 64 gms for two people

Spinach – 2 bunches

Milk     - 2 cups

Refined flour  - 2 tbsps

Ghee   - 3 tbsps

Salt

Basil powder

Thyme

Garlic  - 4 flakes

Method:

-          Clean and break the spinach leaves and steam. Cool and make into a puree. - - - Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add crushed garlic, Add the spinach puree and salt. Keep stirring in between and let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the basil powder and thyme for flavor.

-          Meanwhile make the white sauce by roasting the refined flour in 2 tbsps of ghee. When it turns light brown, add the milk slowly to avoid lumps. Stir continuously till the flour is cooked and it is thick.

-          Mix the spinach puree to the white sauce.

-          Take three cups of water, add the pasta and one masala packet that comes along with the pasta. Keep stirring in between and let it cook for 10 minutes ( according to the instructions on the packet, it is 5 minutes but I found it less).

-          Mix the cooked pasta to the white sauce, spinach puree mix. It can be served as it is, 

OR,

-          Oil a baking dish and put the pasta mix in it (can top it with cheese). Bake for 10 minutes and serve.