Healthy, Hearty, Italian Spaghetti with Spinach, Bread Crumbs, and Roasted Garlic

Many meatless pasta recipes beckon you, but most disappoint. This one will satisfy your hunger, keep your blood sugar low, and generally promote good health. Nutritious, high in fiber, featuring spinach, garlic, cheese, whole wheat pasta and bread crumbs, a rare dish which is simultaneously healthy and delicious.

The spinach is easy. Use a bag of frozen cut leaf spinach from your grocery store. No work, ready to go.

The pasta, likewise, is no effort – just purchase the whole wheat variety.

Now the bread crumbs are a different story. If you purchase prepared bread crumbs, they will not be high fiber. But as an accent to this dish, the overall effect will still be good. However if you’ve got a few minutes, it’s very easy to make fresh, high fiber bread crumbs at home.

In the end, no matter your choices, this is a wonderful Italian dish promoting great nutrition and is, by the way, very tasty!

Bread Crumbs

Of course you can buy prepared bread crumbs, even seasoned with Italian herbs, but you will find them disappointing. Instead, try this.

2 slices of multi-grain bread

Heat oven to 300F. Place bread slices on a cookie tray in the oven and allow to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a food processor. Blend until reduced to crumbs. You are done – high fiber, fresh bread crumbs.

 Pasta dish

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, in halves

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and diced

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

Dash of Italian seasoning

1 lb. cut leaf spinach

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

Salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Start a large pot of water to boil. Add salt.

Meanwhile, warm half of the olive oil (1/4 cup) in a large, deep skillet and cook the garlic till slightly browned. Add  bread crumbs, pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook until bread crumbs begin to brown. Remove to a separate bowl.

Add remaining olive oil to the skillet (1/4 cup) and cook spinach until wilted. Stir in bread crumb/garlic mixture from the reserved bowl, mix well and continue to reduce.

As soon as the pasta water boils, add pasta and cook till al dente, 6-7 minutes. Capture a half cup of the pasta water, then drain in a colander. Place pasta in the skillet, combine well with spinach mixture and a bit of the pasta water. Warm up the burner and cook till well combined. Test and adjust seasonings as desired.

Serve hot, topped with freshly grated Parmesan.

Buon appetito!

Puree of Spinach and Lentil Soup

This is a hearty one-pot soup with Italian roots. Lentils, spinach, and carrot lend an earthy, filling taste with excellent nutrition. The soup may be served hot or chilled – either way it is outstanding. The soup is pureed, and an old fashioned kitchen food processor will do the trick. But that is a bit of trouble, so I would recommend an immersion blender.  Since obtaining our stick blender, I have made this soup much more frequently – it is so easy!

Ingredients

3 Tbs. EVOO

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes

½ red bell pepper seeded and chopped

1 medium yellow onion chopped

1 large carrot chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

6 cups water

1 ½ cups lentils, picked over for stones

8-10 oz. fresh spinach, washed and drained

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

1 cup cottage cheese or plain yogurt

3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives

Method

Heat olive oil in a large pot, preferably cast iron. Add hot pepper flakes, red pepper, onion, and carrot. Saute until vegetable mixture is softened. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add water and bring to boil. Add lentils and reduce to a slow boil. Cook lentils, covered, until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add spinach and cook, covered, another 15 minutes.

Now the soup must be blended. If you are using an external kitchen food processor, transfer the soup in batches and blend until smooth. Return to pot when done. If using stick blender, blend in the pot until smooth (this is the preferred method).

Add cottage cheese or plain yogurt. Stir well until completely blended.

Serve topped with chopped chives, and on the side slices of rustic bread. A hearty red wine is the topper. This is a meal!  Enjoy.

Whole-wheat pasta dinner salad

Fresh vegetables and whole grains, with the nutrients and fiber that they provide, are rightfully promoted as central to a healthful diet.  Combine whole wheat pasta with baby spinach and you’ve got a real winner.

This quick, easy, dinner salad is delicious, nutritious, and simple to prepare.   No excuses!

The recipe provides a large, wholesome dinner for four.  It may easily be halved.

Ingredients, salad:

¾ pound whole wheat pasta – rotini, fusilli,  or other small shapes

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

¼ large red onion, chopped (approx. ½ cup)

½ sweet red pepper, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

6 oz. package fresh baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients, dressing:

3 Tbs. EVOO

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Method:

Cook the pasta according to package directions  Drain, rinse under cold water, place in a large bowl with other salad ingredients.

Prepare dressing, whisk ingredients until well mixed, pour over salad and toss thoroughly.

This salad serves four hungry adults – may easily be halved.

Buon appetito! 

Simple spinach with an Indian flair

Cooking does not always have to be complicated in order to taste good or be good for you.  Spinach is highly nutritious and is used in many cuisines.  Originating in Asia, it has spread around the world.  Best used fresh from your own garden, it begins to lose nutritional value after just a few days.  One good way to overcome this (especially out of season) is to use frozen spinach.  An added virtue of frozen is that a side dish of spinach can be prepared with almost no effort as you are working on the main course.Frozen spinach does not need to be rinsed, trimmed, or chopped.

This dish is a tabula rasa, or blank slate, which takes on the characteristics of the spices you use.  I prefer an Indian style using turmeric and hot pepper flakes, but you could make it Italian by using oregano and thinly sliced garlic.  There is a bit of dairy added near the end to make the dish slightly creamy.  I like low-fat cream cheese, but you could substitute plain yogurt, cottage cheese, feta, or whatever you like.  Experiment and have some fun.   

1 Tbs. EVOO

1/8 tsp. turmeric

Freshly ground black pepper

A few hot red pepper flakes to taste

1 10oz. package of frozen spinach (chopped is my favorite)

1 Tbs. low-fat cream cheese

Heat oil in a small skillet (large enough to accommodate the frozen block of spinach) over medium-low heat.  Add turmeric, black pepper, and hot pepper flakes and stir into the oil.

Remove spinach from package and drop directly into skillet.  Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes, occasionally turning and breaking up with a wooden spoon.

Once the spinach is completely thawed and has begun to cook,  uncover to allow some of the excess liquid to evaporate.  After 5 or more minutes, add cheese or dairy product, cover, and allow dairy to melt.

Stir well to blend  in the dairy product.  If dinner isn’t ready yet, turn off heat and cover until ready to serve.

Serves two.  Recipe may be easily doubled.

Buon appetito!