Recipes › Pasta › Creamy Rigatoni Florentine Recipe

Creamy Rigatoni Florentine Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

Creamy Rigatoni Florentine is a luxurious Italian pasta dish featuring tube-shaped rigatoni coated in a silky béchamel-based cream sauce enriched with garlic and fresh spinach. This elegant main course combines tender pasta with the earthy flavor of wilted spinach and the richness of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, creating a restaurant-quality meal in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 400g rigatoni pasta
• 300g fresh spinach, packed
• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g all-purpose flour
• 500ml whole milk, warmed
• 150ml heavy cream
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 100g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
• 50g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add rigatoni and cook according to package directions until al dente, approximately 11-13 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add fresh spinach in batches, stirring constantly until completely wilted, approximately 3-4 minutes total. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate.

3. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Once foaming, whisk in flour to create a roux, stirring constantly for 2 minutes until light golden and smelling toasted.

4. Slowly pour in warmed milk while whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Stir until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5-7 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses, stirring until fully melted and incorporated. Season with salt, black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg.

6. Fold in the cooked spinach, breaking up any large clumps, and gently stir until evenly distributed throughout the sauce.

7. Add the drained rigatoni to the sauce and toss gently until every piece is coated. If the sauce seems too thick, add pasta cooking water 2 tablespoons at a time until reaching desired consistency.

Substitutions

• For dairy-free: Use vegan butter, oat milk, and nutritional yeast instead of butter, milk, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• For gluten-free: Substitute rigatoni with gluten-free pasta of equal weight and use cornstarch mixed with a little milk instead of flour for the roux
• For lighter version: Replace heavy cream with Greek yogurt and use half the butter for béchamel
• For vegetable variation: Add roasted mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes alongside the spinach

Tips

• Warm the milk before adding to the roux to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth sauce; cold milk will cause the roux to seize
• Don't overcook the pasta; rigatoni should be al dente as it will continue cooking slightly when tossed with the hot sauce
• Reserve pasta water before draining as its starch helps the sauce adhere to the pasta and improves texture

Florentine-style dishes traditionally feature spinach as their signature ingredient, a tradition rooted in Florence's agricultural heritage. This creamy preparation reflects Northern Italian cooking techniques, where béchamel-based sauces are more common than the tomato-based preparations typical of Southern Italy.

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