Lynn's Super Fast Spinach Pasta Dish

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Ingredients

Instructions

12 oz. whole grain spaghetti, broken into halves or thirds*

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

16 oz. baby spinach* (if washed, make sure it is spun dry in salad spinner)

While pasta cooks, place spinach in bottom of a very large bowl. (Mine is pictured below.) Once pasta is cooked, drain and immediately dump on top of spinach.

2 Tbsp. high quality olive oil* (more, to taste)

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish and to serve on the side)

Drizzle olive oil over pasta. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese, then toss gently with large forks to coat pasta with oil and distribute spinach and cheese evenly. Taste and add more oil, salt, pepper and/or cheese to suit your taste buds. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and serve, with additional cheese on the side.

Serves: 4

Optional Mix-ins

1. Lemon zest and/or fresh lemon juice

2. Sauteed sliced mushrooms

3. Truffle oil (2-3 drops per serving)

4. Chevre, feta or blue cheese instead of Parmesan cheese

5. Sun-dried tomatoes, softened and cut into strips

6. Canned artichoke hearts, diced or sliced

7. Bacon crumbles

8. You get the idea. Get creative

Ingredient Notes

1. Whole Grain Pasta Interested in healthier eating? Begin transitioning from white foods to whole grains. It’s just a matter of time and experimentation. Experiment with different whole grain pasta varieties, but give your taste buds time to get used to the new taste. Because we can’t eat wheat, we have been eating brown rice pasta for years and actually prefer its heartier taste.

2. Spinach Variety Baby spinach is a must for this recipe as written, since it is the only variety tender enough to get "cooked" just by tossing with hot pasta. If you have a sturdier variety of spinach try this trick: Make sure spinach is cut roughly into 1-2" squares. Once pasta is cooked, throw spinach into the pasta pot, stir down into boiling water for just 15 to 30 seconds, then quickly drain both pasta and spinach. When using one of the sturdier spinaches, 12 oz. is adequate.

3. High Quality Olive Oil In this recipe, the olive oil is a key flavor ingredient, so you may want to experiment with something a little better than the lower quality oils that are frequently used for cooking.

The core of this one-dish meal is simple: Dump a pot of cooked pasta over a batch of baby spinach and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. If you have a little extra time, however, there are all sorts of Optional Mix-ins that can be added for fun.

Member Profile

A successful realtor in Portland, Oregon, Lynn is one of those people who (seriously) gets a million things done a day. The secret to her success:

Getting after and staying on top of things. When our children were young (and photos were still developed), I struggled to keep up with all the kid pictures we took, but Lynn popped hers into albums right after picking them up at the drug store. So she never had to waste time sorting through years worth of pictures.

is easy enough for everyday but elegant enough for entertaining.

Family Fun

Kids love being creative. So for some family (or entertaining fun), create a "pasta bar.” Alongside the finished pasta dish, set out a variety of mix-ins in small bowls. Let each person mix and match their own pasta dish.

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Lynn’s Super Fast Spinach Pasta

<<Get Out of Your Recipe Rut< Lynn’s Super Fast Spinach Pasta

Cooking has always been the same way for Lynn. Being busy never stopped her from entertaining and she never sacrificed health or fun in her meals. She simply applied her trademark efficiency and creativity in the kitchen, as in this one-dish pasta meal, which is easy enough for everyday but elegant enough for entertaining.

Family Fun

Have a Good Recipe to Share?

Email it. If it’s published, get a free copy of Take Control of Your Kitchen. Check out the Monthly Calendar to see what vegetables are coming up.