Penne with Spinach

This is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on Everyday Italian.  When I saw it, I immediately wanted to recreate it, but what recipe from Food Network doesn't look delicious?  There were three things I really liked about this recipe, there is so much spinach in it, you can use it in place of a salad, you don't have to cook the sauce and it exposed Hayden to unusual flavors like goat cheese without being too overpowering.

Penne with Spinach Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat or multi grain penne

3 garlic cloves

2 oz goat cheese

1 oz reduced fat cream cheese

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

2 tbs freshly grated Parmesan

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Add the penne and cook until it is tender but firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Mince the garlic in a food processor.  Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves.  Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.  Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl.  Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten.  Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.