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Home > Recipes > Course > Pasta and Rice

Pasta with Greens, Rustic Italian Style

Article Author: Red Jen
Preparation time: 00h:30min
Servings: 4
Calories: 230

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Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghetti (I use brown rice pasta from Trader Joe’s

1 Big Bunch Bitter Greens like Dandelion, Chard, or Black Kale

2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ tsp Sea Salt, plus more for pasta cooking water

¼ tsp Fresh cracked Black Pepper

½ tsp Dried Hot Red Chili Flakes, optional

¼ C Raisins, roughly chopped

¼ C Kalamata Olives, pitted and roughly chopped

¼ C Pine Nuts, optional – OR-

¼ C Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, optional

Cooking Instructions:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-10 minutes

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with salt.

2. Meanwhile, chop or tear the greens into bite-size pieces and rinse thoroughly. Mince or press the garlic and chop the olives and raisins and set aside

3. Once the water is boiling, drop the pasta and cook according to package directions (about 7-10 minutes), then start the “sauce.”

4. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and then add the still-wet greens. Season with salt and pepper and stir for a few minutes until they begin to wilt. To soften further, put a lid over them and let them steam a little until near desired doneness (about 3-5 minutes).

5. Add the garlic to the greens and stir a few minutes more until fragrant. Then, mix in the olives and raisins and reduce heat to low. At this point, the pasta should be done.

6. Using tongs, pull the pasta from the pot and place into the pan with the greens and toss about to incorporate (you want some of the pasta water to help make the sauce). If it seems too dry, ladle a bit of pasta water into your skillet and toss again.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of pine nuts and maybe another drizzle of olive oil or a sprinkle of cheese.

See Whole Grain Pasta with Greens Video Recipe

Cooking Tips:

I love this as a main course, weeknight meal topped with some garlicky shrimp or spicy chicken, but you can keep it lighter and vegetarian and just top with some pine nuts and/or grate some hard cheese over top.

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