One-Pot Green Pasta

Dietary: Vegetarian

Serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of pasta

• 5-6 cloves of pressed or finely chopped garlic

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 4 cups fresh spinach

  • I have also made this with 1 bundle of chopped asparagus, or use any other green veggie you have in your fridge, like baby kale or broccoli

• 1 can of peas, drained and rinsed

  • Peas blend into this dish so well, but if you don’t have any, you could also use a mild-flavored bean, like garbanzo beans or white beans

• 1 cup of shredded hard, aged cheese, like parmesan or an extra sharp white cheddar

• 3/4 cup pesto

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • Avocado oil or canola oil is also an option here

• 1/4 cup warm water

• To taste: salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

• Optional: 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges

Directions

• Boil a large pot of water. Add in your pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

• In the same pot on low-medium heat, sauté your garlic in 2 tablespoons butter until fragrant (only a few minutes).

• Add in spinach (or other green veggies) until it just starts to wilt or soften.

• Toss in your green peas, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

• Carefully pour the pasta on top. Before stirring the pasta, pour the pesto, 1/2 cup of your cheese, water, and olive oil over the noodles. Carefully incorporate all of of your ingredients.

  • I use a soft rubber spatula for this step so that I don’t break the noodles. Be patient! It does take some time to get everything fully mixed together.

• Remove from heat and serve into large bowls. Top each serving with the rest of your cheese and the juice of the lemon (one wedge per serving).

  • I use tongs to serve this dish so I can pick up not just the noodles but the peas and veggies too!

• Enjoy!

The Story

As I write this, it’s April of 2020 and we’re entering week 7 of the COVID-19 shutdown. This recipe was birthed in the midst of this chaos as a “what’s left in my cupboard” dinner.

Evan and I both were in awe of this pantry miracle. And when I posted a speedy tutorial on Instagram a few weeks ago, I received SO MANY MESSAGES (maybe 2) asking for the recipe details. So here we are!

Pasta is the food mascot of quarantine, so chances are you’re well-stocked on noods. But since we’re all limiting our grocery runs these days, I purposely listed several veggie substitutes that you might already have available at home. I think we’re all realizing that we have a lot more canned foods at home than we thought (a bit dusty in the back of the pantry, eh?).

Not only is this one-pot wonder recipe super flexible but it also conveniently masks wilting veggies (slimy spinach welcome!). Plus, it takes advantage of arguably the best shelf-stable plant protein—PEAS!

Green peas are a bit famous in the food science world. Processed food is often fortified with pea protein to up its nutrient density because a) peas are cheap and b) its a high-value protein source that packs an iron (& fiber) punch!

So don’t be so quick to sub out those peas just because you or someone in your family isn’t a big fan. The peas are well disguised in this recipe!