Tallarines verdes (Peruvian green spaghetti)
Spaghetti in a bright green, creamy sauce of spinach, basil and fresh cheese, the Peruvian home-cooking classic that looks like pesto and tastes even creamier.
- 40 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.32 a serving
- 630 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 5 oz baby spinach, one box
- 1 package fresh basil, the whole 0.75-oz package, leaves picked
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 oz queso fresco, plus more to serve
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 lb spaghetti
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, plus ½ tsp
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 630 calories, 24 g protein, 93 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.32 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No queso fresco? Cotija cheese or feta cheese works.
- No spaghetti? Fettuccine works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, cover and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Drop the spinach and basil into the water for 30 seconds, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon into a colander and under cold water. Keep the pot boiling.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
High heatTimer: 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: The quick dunk keeps the sauce bright green instead of turning a sad olive color.Heat the oil in a small over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic 4 to 5 minutes, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Squeeze the greens dry and put them in a blender with the onion mixture, queso fresco, evaporated milk, ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper. Blend until completely smooth.
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, buy queso fresco labeled “made with pasteurized milk,” and for extra care, warm it until it’s steaming hot.
Cook the spaghetti in the same water 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out 1 cup of , then .
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 9 min
Return the spaghetti to the pot over low heat, pour in the green sauce, and for 1 minute, loosening with until creamy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Low heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep the heat low. Boiling dulls the color and can split the cheese.Serve with extra queso fresco over the top.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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