Acini di Pepe with Spinach, Garlic, and Scallions

emilyisabella30 on 12.29.2009

I made this yesterday, and ate the whole thing myself (spread out over a few hours). I don’t think there need to be any ingredient changes, but I made some just so I could make this with what I had on hand. I didn’t have any scallions, so I increased the garlic. I’m not into crushed red pepper, so I substituted a dash of cayenne. The tiny pasta I had came in a 12 oz box. The feta I had was a basil tomato flavor. I was drawn to the idea of being able to put the frozen spinach right in the pan, but doing it that way took a while. I think running it under hot water first would have been better. I would still be able to get out of squeezing it between two plates like most recipes suggest. Since the pasta is so tiny, like couscous, it takes no time at all to cook. Waiting for the water to boil was the longest part of this recipe. I really liked the balance of sauteed garlic, spinach, and feta. The recipe really needs all three. My feta came in a fresh 8 oz block. I crumbled about half of it and stirred it in. This is so fast to make, tastes good, and looks a little fancy. I liked the look of the red bits from my flavored feta. I imagine the crushed pepper would have a similar look. I am adding this to my personal recipe book of my family recipes. That is high praise.