Conchiglie with Goat Cream Cheese and Spinach

Most days I come home from a long day at University totally famished.
Although, I alsways pack a ton of food to eat during the day, including nuts and fruits to nibble on when the hunger strikes me, I always end up craving a warm and satisfying meal by the time I walk through my door.
Besides being delicious and somewhat healthy, my dinners also have to be ready in less than 30 minutes flat. That’s the maximum amount of time I am willing/able to spend before I’d collapse (Being melodramatic here)!
Sice this dish fulfills both needs, it is one of my go-to dinners when I crave pasta with a light but creamy sauce.
To make it a little more filling, I always bulk it up with vegetables - spinach, kale or chard being my favorites.
Since the meal is so freaking simple I am almost hesitant to call it a recipe, but it is delicious and therefore worth sharing with you:
All you have to do is boil the pasta in plenty of salt water, chop up two challots and cook them in some oil together with the greens. Then you throw in the cooked pasta with a dollop of cream cheese, add a generous dash of  salt, pepper and Percorino, et viola! There you have a simple but tasty dinner steaming in front of you!

If you are cooking for only one person, don’t hesitate to make the whole batch, since the dish tastes great cold and makes a nice salad for lunch the next day.

Do you know what’s also great with this dish? I am almost ashamed to tell you but I drizzle Hot Chili Sauce over my noodles to add more spice. I am also the kind of person who eats ketchup with her pizza. I know, I know. I am very sorry.
But anyways. Try it with Hot Sauce!

Conchiglie with Goat Cream Cheese and Spinach
(Serves 2 hungry people)

250g Conchiglie pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil
500g fresh spinach, chopped
2 shallots, minced
100g goat’s cream cheese
¼ cup reserved noodle water
Salt, pepper

Pecorino cheese for serving

Cocktail tomatoes, olive oil

Cook pasta in salt water according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander but reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pot and sweat shallots until translucent. Add spinach leaves and cook covered on medium heat until spinach has wilted. Stir frequently. Drain spinach in a colander to remove excess water. Put back into the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add cream cheese and stir well to melt the cheese. Fold in the pasta and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

To make the tomatoes, place them on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes or until the peel cracks open.

Serve with shaved Pecorino.