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colorful pasta with spinach and edamame

Colorful Pasta with Spinach and Edamame

Bow-tie pasta, tossed with fresh spinach, edamame, tomatoes, cottage cheese and seasonings, topped with sauteed zuchini and red bell peppers. Heated through to serve steaming hot, along with a lemon wedge, for a warm-satisfying one-dish meal.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 254 kcal

Equipment

  • Microwave oven; if not available, procedure can be followed using a steamer assembly (will take a bit longer, details in recipe notes)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Bow-tie pasta also called Farfalle pasta
  • 3 cups cups Fresh spinach trimmed, washed and rinsed thoroughly; chopped roughly
  • 1/2 cup Cottage cheese large curd preferred; if not available, can use coarsely crumbled paneer (see instructions in Recipe notes); for vegan options - see suggestions in Recipe notes
  • 1 cup Edamame - shelled frozen, thawed is OK; if not available, use cooked chick peas (garbanzo beans) - canned beans OK too
  • 1/2 cup Tomato - diced small 1 medium Roma - any other variety or red tomatoes OK too
  • 1 cup Zucchini - diced 1 medium, cut into bite-sized pieces; also called "courgette"; if not available, can use other squash varieties, such as yellow squash, chayote squash, butternut squash, etc.; cooking times will likely need to be modified slightly.
  • 1/4 cup Fresh red bell pepper - medium diced approximately 1 cm square pieces
  • 2 tbsp Onion - chopped yellow/white preferred; red OK, will make pasta look dark
  • 2 tsp Butter for vegan option: substitute with oil or vegan butter
  • 3/4 tsp Salt adjust as per preference
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper - freshly crushed preferred coarse texture
  • 1 tbsp Dried basil
  • 1 tsp Crushed red pepper adjust as per spiciness preferred
  • 1 whole Lime/lemon - cut into wedges if not avaiable: OK to use bottled juice
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - finely shredded/grated if not available, use a different hard, aged cheese

Instructions
 

  • Add about 6-7 cups of water to a medium large pot (3-4 quart/liter). Start heating the water for the pasta, and while waiting for it to boil, measure and set out the bow-tie pasta also called Farfalle.

Prepare the vegetables in the order described below

  • Chop the onions.
    Add 1/2 tsp butter and microwave for 2 min on medium-high power (60-70%). (Steamer instructions in Recipe Notes)
  • Meanwhile, dice the zucchini into medium, bite-sized chunks: this should be ready by the time the onion is done.
  • Add the zucchini, 1.5 tsp butter, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper toss and microwave again: 2 min on high. (Steamer instructions in Recipe Notes)
  • Dice the bell pepper, add to the cooked zucchini and microwave: 1 min on high. (Steamer instructions in Recipe Notes)
  • When done, cover loosely and set it aside - this is the topping for the pasta.
  • Thaw edamame: microwave on high, 1 minute (Steamer instructions in Recipe Notes) (Skip step if using cooked chick-peas)
  • Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir and bring back to a vigorous boil. Cook 7-8 min, stirring periodically to prevent sticking / burning on the bottom (al-dente- fully cooked, but firm, not mushy). I recommend setting the timer to keep track of time: pasta can become mushy when overcooked.
  • While the pasta cooks, rough-chop the spinach. If your spinach is already trimmed and washed, rough-chopping it only takes a couple of min.
    spinach rough chop
  • Now dice the tomato and slice the lemon into serving-sized wedges.
    chopped tomatoes for curry
  • When the timer beeps, drain the pasta and top immediately with spinach, cottage cheese, edamame, tomatoes and the rest of the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and basil. Toss gently with 2 spoons - try not to mash the pasta, it is a bit delicate.
  • cottage cheese and spinach on pasta
  • Serve the warm pasta in individual bowls/plates and top with the prepared zucchini-bell pepper mixture. Cover loosely and heat it through in the microwave, one bowl at a time for 2 min on high. Make sure it comes out steaming hot - that's when it will be at its yummiest!
    pasta tossed with spinach and edamame
  • Top the hot pasta with freshly ground black pepper, a little Parmesan and serve with a lemon wedge, perhaps garnished with a little sprig of fresh basil for extra flair!
    colorful pasta with spinach and edamame
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If you want to make this dish in under 30 min, follow the plan described in the directions.
If microwave is not available: use a steamer pan
Cooking times with a steamer pan will take a little longer than using a microwave, with a slightly different texture.
  • onions: 3-4 min,
  • zucchini: 3-4 min;
  • red bell pepper: 2 min.
  • Then follow the same procedure as given above. The vegetables should be firm-tender, and not cooked till they become mushy soft.
  • Final steaming of individual servings: 3 minutes
For a vegan option:
  • Substitute butter with olive oil (or other mild oil).
  • Substitute cottage cheese with 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled extra firm tofu, marinated with 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried basil and 1/2 tsp lemon juice - gently mix and set aside to marinate, at least 20 min.
  • substitute the grated Parmesan with a little sprinkling of almond flour (blanched almonds), seasoned with just a hint of salt

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 15gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 661mgPotassium: 543mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2858IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 149mgIron: 2mg
Keyword bow-tie pasta, cottage cheese, edamame, farfalle, fresh spinach, hot meal, Italian food, one-dish meal, pasta, quick-fix meal, under 30 min, vegan option, vegetarian, zucchini
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