Thursday, February 12, 2009

I'm Strong to the Finish Cause I Eats Me Spinach

I love spinach. It's one of the best foods ever. And, seriously, so diverse. You can have spinach salad, spinach lasagna, spinach frittata's for breakfast, spinach bars for appetizers, savory spinach pie...well maybe that's not the best dessert, but this could be. Fresh or frozen are great ways to eat spinach. I'm not a fan of the can, but if you are, by all means. So this recipe for Pasta Florentine calls for fresh spinach. I used frozen because I happened to have it on hand. Still super yummy. I also used quinoa linguine which ups the protein and lowers the carbs.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tbs butter or margerine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 quarts water
1 package pasta
2 lbs fresh spinach (chopped)
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 c pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Saute pine nuts in olive oil until lightly browned
Remove & set aside
In same oil, saute garlic for 3 minutes, set aside
Cook pasta until tender & drain
Reheat oil containing garlic
Add spinach & saute until wilted ,about 3 minutes
Stir in butter
In large bowl, toss pasta, spinach, pine nuts & cheese
Add s&p and serve

Sometimes I add a little pancetta or italian sausage but it's great the way it is. Also, for a mediterranean flair, substitute the romano with feta and add a few tomatoes and maybe some kalamata olives.

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