Penne with Greens and Beans

Penne with Greens and Beans is a healthy, low-fat pasta dish.

Ingredients:
1 box uncooked Penne Rigate
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound fresh collard, turnip or mustard greens, washed, trimmed and cut into large bite-sized pieces
1 (28 ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans (or any other white beans)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan.
2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to boil.
3. Add greens; return to boil. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, uncovered, until greens are just crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add can of diced tomatoes with juice to the pan; cook for 5 minutes and add beans; stir gently and cook for 1 minute until beans are heated.
4. Add greens and beans mixture to pasta; toss to coat.Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This is a wonderful pasta dish that is Low in fat and loaded with fiber. It is a quick and easy dinner meal for my family and the kids love this dish, they always ask for more. I love adding beans to pasta dishes for added protein and I really enjoy the smooth texture of cannellini beans. For those who don’t know what Cannellini beans are; they are a white kidney bean. If you can’t find cannellini beans you could use great northern beans or navy beans. Also, you can use spinach or kale to replace the collard greens; any dark leafy greens would go great in this recipe.

This dish is healthy and delicious and they kids don’t even realize they are eating greens:)

*Camala*

Chicken and Pasta Florentine

This pasta dish is very flavorful, versatile and pretty!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into thinly sliced strips
3 cloves garlic, chopped
10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 (16 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1/2 pint half and half
26 ounces pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add garlic  and spinach to skillet; saute until spinach reduces/wilts and cooks down.
2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
3. Once spinach is cooked down add pasta sauce and half & half to skillet; cook over low to medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.
4. Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese to sauce mixture mix well add pasta and toss until well coated. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese and serve.

This is a great dinner, you could serve with some warm, crusty garlic bread. This is a pretty simple recipe, the most time consuming thing is chopping the spinach which I coarsely chopped. I used a Florentine Spinach & Cheese pasta sauce, using an already prepared pasta sauce makes this recipe quicker however if you have the time, go ahead and make your own sauce if you desire.

*Camala*