I love eating pasta, especially good quality pasta! When I do make pasta, sometimes I feel guilty that there isn’t enough vegetables, or that it’s not a balanced meal, and possibly too many carbs. I get really hard on myself on days where I make pasta, mostly because I want dinners to be as nutrient dense as possible. So, I created this feel-good pasta that checks all the boxes and tastes ridiculously good!
The quality of the pasta does matter, so if you want to take your pasta dinner up a notch (or too) get good quality pasta. For this recipe I used Jovial’s Fusilli pasta. Their pasta is top quality, and they have all sorts of gluten based, and gluten free options!
I also want to share that although this recipe has a few components before it all comes together, I break it down for you in the simplest way so that you can easily follow it. I also give you some tips to help save you from additional dishes to wash.
If you are a vegetarian, or just don’t want any meat in your pasta, feel free to omit the meat! Another option would be to substitute the meat with mushrooms. This is a really great recipe to try anytime you are looking to change up your pasta nights!
| Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25-30 minutes |
| Serves: 4 | Total time: 40 minutes |
| Ingredients For tomatoes 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (my favorite) 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1/4 tsp salt For Meat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 onion (I used yellow) 1/2 pound ground beef (I used 85% lean grassfed) For Pasta 12 oz. packet of fusilli (or your favorite) pasta (I used this one) Filtered water (about 4-5 quarts) check instructions on pasta package 1 tsp salt (for pasta) | Beef 3 tbsp tomato sauce or strained tomatoes ( I lovee and used these) 2 tbsp red pepper paste 1 tsp salt (for ground beef) 2 tbsp pasta water Spinach 1/2 bunch spinach (about 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped) 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp black pepper Additional salt and pepper to taste if needed |
| Instructions 1. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and set aside. 2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large pan on medium heat, add sliced cherry tomatoes. 3. Add salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are wilted. Set aside into a small bowl. *(You can use the same pan for the next step, no need to wash it. Just make sure there is no oil spills on the outside of the pan.) This is my favorite pan I love to use. 4. Dice onions and set aside. 5. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to your large pan on medium heat, add in diced onions, cook for about 3 minutes, stirring each minute. 6. Add ground beef to the onion mixture and stir by breaking down the meat with a large spatula. | 7. Once there is no pink left on the beef (about 5-7 minutes) add paprika, pepper paste, tomato sauce, and salt. Stir and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, then turn heat off. 8. Cook pasta according to package instructions, and reserve 2 tbsp of pasta water. *Tip Add salt to the pasta water after the water starts to boil. 9. Once you have your reserved pasta water, add it to the beef mixture. Then add cooked tomatoes and roughly spinach to the beef mixture, then add paprika and black pepper, and cook on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. 10. Add the beef and vegetable mixture to the pasta, stir and enjoy! |
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I love cold pasta dishes. Thanks
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My pleasure! I haven’t tried this dish cold, but I don’t see any reason not enjoy it either way! 🙂
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