Make a Flavorful and Colorful Spinach Pasta Meal
Cook pasta in salted water per package directions;. Saute the carrots and turnips with garlic for a few min, then add bell pepper and saute for a minute. Drain the pasta (reserve some cooking water) and transfer to large bowl. Add sauteed vegetables, tomatoes, corn, cottage cheese and seasonings. Toss gently and serve in individual plates/bowls. Top each serving with Parmesan and Mozzarella. Cover and microwave (each plate separately) on hi for 1-2 min till pasta is heated through and cheese melts. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Microwave oven preferred; if not available, check Recipe Notes for alternate directions
Ingredients
- 8 oz Spinach Spaghetti If not available, spinach ribbons, or any other pasta of your choice is OK; naturally, the appearance will change a little, but it will still be delicious.
- 6 cups water for cooking pasta
- 75 g Baby carrots about 15 carrots Quartered lengthwise; If not available, use mature carrots, preferably not too thick in diameter. see directions for prepping
- 50 g Turnip - about 1/2 medium sized turnip thick julienne strips; avoid using large turnips - they have a slightly bitter taste, even after cooking; if not available, omit or use a different vegetable instead - small-tender Kohlrabi (called Navalkol in Marathi, Hindi) broccoli or cauliflower stalks would be good substitutes
- 1/4 cup Red bell pepper cut into 1 inch long strips - about 1/4 medium sized pepper; if not available, yellow or orange pepper OK too; do not use green bell pepper- it has a very different flavor
- 1 cup Tomatoes diced medium - any variety; fully ripe, with deep red color; if using cherry/grape tomatoes- slice in half, lengthwise
- 2-3 cloves Garlic slivered long
- 1/2 cup Cottage cheese large curd preferred - if not available, see Recipe Notes for substitution suggestions
- 1/2 cup Corn frozen or canned; yellow preferred; if using fresh corn, see Recipe Notes for cooking directions.
- 1 tsp Oil peanut oil preferred; any other edible oil OK; do NOT use extra-virgin olive oil for cooking
- 2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil Cold pressed preferred
- 1/4 tsp Salt only add as much as needed- may not need all of it; add 1/2 tsp salt in the water used for cooking the spaghetti
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper freshly crushed preferred
- 1 tsp Crushed red pepper also called red chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp Dried Basil if using fresh leaves, need 3-4 tbsp roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese - grated or finely shredded for making it vegan: use your preferred vegan cheese
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese - shredded for making it vegan: use your preferred vegan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium-large pot, bring about 7-8 cups water to a boil (note: this is much less than the package directions typically suggest). Stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Add the spaghetti, stir, bring back to a boil and follow package directions for cooking al dente (6-8 min). Don't let it become mushy soft.
- Place a colander over a pot to collect the cooking water when you drain the cooked pasta, Drain the spaghetti and reserve 1 cup cooking water. (The rest of the cooking water can be used in preparing other dishes - see Recipe Notes for ideas)Transfer the spaghetti to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water and gently toss to coat the pasta. Save the rest of the water for later, if needed. Taste-test the spaghetti for salt- sprinkle a pinch if needed and toss again. Keep covered, while prepping and cooking the veggies.
- While the pasta cooks, prep the vegetables. Place the baby carrots in a microwave safe bowl with about 2 tbsp water and microwave on hi for 30 seconds. Set aside for 2-3 min, covered; then remove the carrots from the water and set aside for 1-2 minutes to cool further, before slicing.Alternatively, you can do this on the stove-top - add the carrots in a cup of boiling water in a small saucepan for 30 seconds. Drain immediately and set aside, covered, to cool, If using mature carrots, cut into 1 1/2 inch long pieces first - use about 10-12 of these pieces (about 75 g). Note: Brief cooking/blanching softens the carrots, making them easy to slice evenly.
- When carrots are cool, slice lengthwise into quarters. If using mature carrots, slice each piece in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 3-5 long pieces, depending on the thickness of the carrots.Slice the garlic cloves into long slivers.
- Meanwhile, slice the red bell pepper into 1 inch strips - you will need about 1/4 of a medium-sized pepper.
- Scrub the turnip thoroughly while rinsing to remove surface dirt. Ideally, do not peel - the purple skin has valuable nutrients. You will need about 1/2 a medium turnip (about 50 g).. Cut into1/4 inch thick slices, then cut each slice into strips. -
- Heat the peanut (or other) oil in a 10 inch skillet/frying pan. Add garlic, carrots and turnips. Stir to mi;, cover and cook for 3-4 min. on med-hi heat. The turnips and carrots should start browning a little (and also softening)
- Add bell pepper, 1/8 tsp salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Saute, uncovered, for 2-3 min, till red pepper wilts. Turn heat off.
- Add diced tomatoes, corn, cottage cheese and basil. Stir gently to mix.
- Add vegetables-cottage cheese mixture on top of the cooked spaghetti. Toss gently, adding more of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed. Pasta should not be too dry.
- Serve the prepared pasta in individual plates/bowls. Top each serving with Parmesan and Mozzarella. Cover and microwave (each plate/bowl separately) on hi for 1 1/2-2 min, till pasta is thoroughly heated through and cheese melts. (For heating without microwave, see Recipe Notes)
- Serve, along with fresh crusty bread and butter, and condiments such as psta sauce, Giardineira pickles, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, fresh-crush pepper mill, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
Blanching carrots on stove-top:
- Boil 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan
- Add baby carrots ( or 1 1/2 inches long carrot pieces, if using mature carrots)
- Remove after 30 seconds; set aside to cool
- proceed to cut as directed in the recipe
If using fresh corn (rather than canned/frozen):
- strip the kernels from the cob carefully with a sharp knife.
- blanch the kernels by placing in 1 cup of boiling water for 1 min-
- strain immediately
Substitutes for cottage cheese, if not available:
- Paneer, chopped into small cubes, marinated overnight with a pinch of salt mixed into 1 tbsp beaten yogurt
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes, marinated overnight with a pinch of salt mixed into 1 tbsp beaten yogurt
- Feta cheese crumbles
Heating final dish without microwave:
- In the oven:
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Serve pasta in oven-safe plates/bowls; add the cheese toppings
- Heat the prepared plates/bowls in oven for 5-7 min - till cheese melts and sizzles
- Serve
- On the stove-top:
- Heat an 8 inch frying pan on med-hi for 1-2 min
- Transfer individual serving amount to the hot pan
- Drizzle about 2 tbsp reserved pasta cooking water
- Sprinkle the Parmesan and Mozzarella toppings
- Cover and simmer 2-3 min, until cheese melts.
- Transfer to individual serving plate/bowl
- Add 1 tbsp pasta cooking water to the empty pan
- Repeat above steps with each of the remaining servings
- Serve
What to do with pasta cooking water:
- Save 1 cup for using in this recipe
- Use the rest ( in 1-2 days) in any soup, stew, curry, Dal, making dough for bread / chapati / tortillas, savory batter (of any kind) etc.
- since the water is salted, you will need to adjust the salt in the other dish accordingly
Storing leftovers:
- Refrigerate leftovers and consume within 1-2 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the leftovers from this dish - the texture of the vegetables will be too soggy and very unappealing when thawed and re-heated.
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 16gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 420mgPotassium: 578mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3487IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 6mg
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