I know I’m not the only one that doesn’t always feel like doing a big elaborate dinner night after night. We don’t have too much ready-to-eat food in our house, but one thing I always make sure I have a few boxes of pasta in our pantry.
Earlier this week, Casey and I were both working late one night when I looked up and realized it was 8:30 and we hadn’t eaten. I didn’t really feel like jumping into a big kitchen project, but plain pasta and marinara didn’t really sound too exciting either.
Here’s a simple and easy way to spruce up a quick pasta dish!
1. Pick a pasta that’s a fun shape or a different flavor. Don’t get me wrong – I love traditional spaghetti, but there are so many other great flavors and styles of pasta – don’t be afraid to try something different.
A tip for the the moms: Once the pasta has cooked, grab and handful and throw into a baggie to save for baby’s lunch/dinner the next day. Cullen thought the long noodles were HILARIOUS!
2. Add some greens or veggies. In a separate sauté pan, I cooked a bunch of beautiful swiss chard in 1/2 cup of pasta water. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I added it to the dish with swiss chard and stirred to combine. I chose greens but you could add whatever you prefer – broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms – whatever feels easy.
3. Mix up the sauce. There is nothing more rustic and homey than a big spoonful of marinara, but on a hot summer day it just didn’t sound right. One of my favorite ways to eat pasta is with a light olive oil sauce. I added about 1.5 tablespoons to the pan with swiss chard and fettuccine, and gave it a good stir. I also added some brightness with about 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar – acidic and salty! Play around with vinegars, lemon juice, white wine – all of these things will add some punch.
4. Add your garnish. For this dish, I decided to add some roasted sunflower seeds. They added a great textural crunch and good roasted flavor. Other good options? Pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, olives, cheese crumbles, capers, mmmmmmm.
5. Season and serve. Finish with any additional salt, pepper, and spices needed. Give one final stir and portion in to your favorite pasta bowl. It all comes together in about 15 minutes, and while it’s by no means complicated, it feels a lot more exciting than something with a jar of sauce dumped on top.
When we were little, my mom used to always tell us we had to have something green on our plates, and it has stuck with me into my thirties. Some quick-cooking greens or veggies can bulk up a pasta dish and add some color and variety to your meal. Next time you’re in a pinch for dinner, think beyond spaghetti and don’t overlook the produce drawer.
I’m eagerly awaiting our CSA delivery this afternoon so I can restock on greens and veggies myself. I’ll take some pictures and show you what we’re cooking with this week.
And because so many of you asked for it… FRIDAY DANCE!!
Hope you have a great weekend!
27 Comments so far
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What an easy but yummy looking meal! The video is beyond adorable!!!!
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I love this guide to creating healthy and quick pasta dishes!
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can’t handle his cuteness!!!
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Isn’t it so amazing how babies just feel the urge to dance to music? I love it. I would also encourage future dancing videos. ;)
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Thanks for the good ideas on how to add something to a pasta dish! I love pasta…so this helps.
Cullen’s dancing is adorable!
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 24th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
You are most welcome. :)
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I think pasta is the perfect go-to meal easy meal. I love adding whatever veggies I have on hand to get some “green” in my dish.
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So with you on the greens! A dinner doesn’t feel complete without them in some shape or form! :) Favourite simple pasta is roasted red pepper and eggplant with spinach and some toasted pinenuts and breadcrumbs on top with a little marinara sauce (nutritional yeast blended in makes it deliciously cheesy!)
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 24th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Sounds delicious!
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I love simple pastas and this one looks so delicious! Cullen is just too cute :) When my cousin was starting to walk she did the same squatting dance!
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That video is so super cute! How can you not swoon over dancing babies? :) Totally made me smile… thanks!
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This looks good. I love ideas for quick dinners! I am a full time working out of the home single mom to a 10 year old daughter and son who is away at college. I love posts on quick meals, prepping food in advance and what to keep in the pantry! (Cullen is super cute too.) Incidentally I also live in Kirkland. I hope you are to loving it as much as I do!
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That video made my day! He is honestly so adorable!! :D
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Love pasta and spinach fettuccine looks like a good way to get in some veggies. :-)
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Oh my gosh that video is the cutest thing ever!!!! So adorable!
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Ahhhh, my daughter is a month younger than Cullen and she does the exact same thing! My son is 2 and loves when I play the guitar, and now they’ll dance side-by-side. It kills me.
Good ideas with the pasta- I actually almost never eat pasta because I get so sick of the marinara routine- this is a really fresh and inspiring take on a simple dish. I see this happening soon :)
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That dancing baby of yours? So much cute. I just can’t even.
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Which CSA do you use? I’ve had a hard time finding a good one on the east side.
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Sorry just clicked your link. Feel free to ignore :)
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I love the Friday dance! Does he have different moves for every day of the week? :)
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That pasta looks delicious! I think it would be delicious with linguine – my favorite cut of pasta :)
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That’s the kind of pasta dish I tend to do when I actually eat pasta (even though I’m Italian, I can go for quite long stretches of time without having/wanting it), my only change would be to use short pasta (penne, fusilli or – my fave – ruote) because I think it “grabs” the sauce/veggies/stuff better. :) But I’d totally eat your pasta here! Yummy!
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Ahhhh the video is adorable and your pasta looks delish!!
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Good tips thanks! Always looking for new ideas- typically for a change, I just swap out pasta for spaghetti squash and using my mom’s homemade sauce (makes a ton and then freezes it…have it for months!). And Cullen dancing is adorable!
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Darn. I just made pasta last night, and mine was a bunch of boiled noodles topped with marinara sauce. Wish I saw this post earlier.
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LOVE the dance! What a cutie! :)
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I’ve tried that pasta and it’s delicious. I need to make some for the baby. I can totally see why they would love eating it. Thanks!
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