Pasta dishes are one of my favorite go-to meals when I’m in a hurry and need dinner fast. I can my own pasta sauce, so I always have a few jars of that on hand so I can mix up a meal of spaghetti if we’re in a hurry. However, I thought I’d try something a little different for this one. I love pasta with pesto, but I saw a recipe on Pinterest for one with spinach, and I just had to try it. The original called for far more oil (and a far more expensive oil), but I used olive oil, and it worked fine and tasted fabulous. Since the nuts tend to make their own oil when they’re processed for long enough, I started with that and let it go for a few minutes. After a couple of minutes, I drizzled in a little olive oil at a time until it reached the right consistency. Combined with whole grain pasta, some garden fresh tomatoes, you’ve got a simple and delicious meal ready to go.
Pasta with Spinach Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups spinach - packed fresh
- ½ cup low fat Swiss cheese - grated
- ⅓ cup pistachios - unsalted and shelled
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ lemon - jucied
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8 oz whole grain pasta
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the spinach, cheese, pistachios, garlic, lemon juice and salt.
- Process on high.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the desired consistency is formed.
- Drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta to the pan and add the pesto.
- Toss to coat and cook over medium high heat until the pesto is heated through.
Nutrition
Entire recipe makes 8 servings
Serving size is about 1 oz pasta with about 1/2 cup pesto
Each serving = 6 Smart Points
PER SERVING: 208 calories; 9.9g fat; 1.5g saturated fat; 24.7g carbohydrates; .7g sugar; 7.9g protein; 1g fiber
