Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach & Tarragon

A favorite of ours. Easy and good.

Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach & Tarragon
from Quick from Scratch Pasta

10 oz fresh spinach (fresh has better flavor in this recipe than frozen or canned)
2 TBSP butter
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb spaghetti
5 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Remove any tough stems from the spinach. In a large frying pan melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the scallions and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and stir until wilted. Simmer until the liquid evaporates from the spinach, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain spaghetti and toss with 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the spinach mixture, the cream cheese, parsley, Parmesan and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.

oohh, and if you drink wine, my cookbook also recommends trying either a bottle of Vouvray from France or one of chenin blanc from California. (Chenin blanc grapes make a wine that is fruity but bursting with acidity, which is an excellent match for tarragon.)