So many of us have made resolutions, set goals, voiced intentions, or whatever you wish to call it, to eat healthier this year; and I’m no exception. My intention is to eat less meat and I’ve challenged myself to cook more vegetarian meals that my family, and yours, will find pleasing to the eye and the taste buds, whether they be the young, the finicky, or the only-meat-and-potatoes type.

Primavera means “spring” in Italian and Pasta Primavera is a pasta dish with a variety of vegetables; perfect for a quick dinner, it is a cinch to prepare and great for using whatever is in the fridge.

Pasta Primavera

8 oz. Barilla multi-grain rotini, penne, or spaghetti pasta

12 oz. grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped

8 oz. package spinach

½ onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

red pepper flakes

Prepare 8 oz. of  pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil, sprinkled with red pepper flakes, sauté spinach over medium heat for two minutes, turning to expose heat to top leaves. Remove and set aside.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes, stir in garlic. Add tomatoes and cook until softened and juices make a sauce.

Place the drained pasta back in the pasta pot, top with tomato sauce, add spinach, toss. Sprinkle with grated parmesan if desired and serve.

Serves 4.

Note: If you’re not interested in meatless, add pancetta or crumbled or sliced Italian sausage. Remember recipes are just a jumping off point for your creativity!

Related posts:

1. Mission Meatless: Two-Bean Tostada As my Tweet Deck pinged and drew me in and...
2. Meatless Monday – Roasted Veggie Lasagna One day, while surfing Foodbuzz’s “Daily 9”, a photo called...
3. Halibut with Heirloom Tomatoes This dish was a “No Recipe” creation. Like a lot...
4. Salmon with Bow Tie Pasta and Peas In my Blog Talk Radio interview yesterday, I emphasized...
5. Bucatini with Spinach and Mushrooms This is another “No Recipe” dinner that I created from...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: meatless recipes, pasta primavera, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 7:50 am and is filed under She's Cookin', easy, vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.