Quick green pasta
Fast, simple & delicious
Quick green pasta
Fast, simple & delicious
Nutrition per serving
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Calories 360 18%
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Fat 8.7g 12%
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Saturates 2.5g 13%
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Sugars 5.2g 6%
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Salt 0.6g 10%
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Protein 14.4g 29%
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Carbs 59.7g 23%
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Fibre 4.7g -
Of an adult's reference intake
Ingredients
- 6 spring onions
- 1 leek
- 1 large handful of tenderstem broccoli spears
- olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 100 g frozen spinach
- 2 large handfuls of frozen peas
- 450 g dried pasta , (we used penne)
- 50 g Parmesan cheese , Grana Padano or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve
- extra virgin olive oil
- optional: fresh herbs , such as basil, parsley or mint
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Method
- Trim and slice the spring onions. Trim the leek, halve it lengthways, wash it, then finely slice. Finely slice the broccoli stalks, reserving the tips.
- Put a large, non-stick, shallow casserole pan on a medium heat.
- Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, with the spring onions, leeks and broccoli stalks. Peel and finely chop the garlic and add to the pan.
- Add the frozen spinach and peas, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
- Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft but not coloured and the spinach has defrosted, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli florets for the last 2 minutes.
- While everything is ticking away, finely grate the Parmesan.
- Scoop or pour out about 200ml of cooking water from the pasta into your veg pan. Now, you can either leave your sauce chunky, blitz it until smooth in a blender, or use a hand blender to go somewhere in between – it’s up to you.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, and tip it into the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the grated Parmesan, and toss it all together.
- I like to finish this with a sprinkling of fresh herbs – parsley, basil, thyme, whatever you’ve got. A little extra grating of Parmesan is always nice, and a big salad on the side.
Tips
BUDGET-FRIENDLY MEAL PLAN TIPS:
This recipe serves 6, so you'll have a couple of portions left over for a tasty lunch the next day.
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS:
Leftover broccoli? Chop up into small florets and add to stir-fries or simply steam until tender and add to salads. Or try my warming soup recipe.
You can easily turn this into a gratin. Once you’ve tossed the pasta and sauce together, tip it into an ovenproof frying pan or dish, sprinkle over some stale breadcrumbs, flaked almonds or grated cheese, and pop under a hot grill for a few minutes, until golden and bubbling.
EASY SWAPS:
– Finely chopped white or red onions would work in place of the spring onions and the leek.
– Use regular broccoli, by all means – finely chop the stalk and add it to the mix at the beginning, keeping the cute little florets until the end.
– You can add any green veg you have: kale, cabbage, broad beans, runner beans, green beans.
– If you don’t have any Parmesan, try a different cheese in its place, make it work for you.
