This Green Veggie Pasta dish is perfect for dinner or as a warming and nourishing lunch. Use seasonal green vegies and the flavours will jump out of the bowl.
Everyone knows that greens are good for you, and this pasta is LOADED with them. Here’s the list of just SOME of the amazing benefits of this dish! (The references are at the bottom of this page.)
1. Broccoli is full of antioxidants and anti-cancer phytonutrients.
2. Spinach is high in iron, antioxidants and vitamin K.
3. Rocket is a bitter food, and aids digestion.
4. Basil is packed with Vitamins A and C, which supports eye and skin health, as well as the immune system.
5. Walnuts are a particularly good source of Vitamin E, which is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. Vitamin E also supports the immune system and is important for eye health. Walnuts contain omega 3s (as well as omega 6s) and are a good source of magnesium and protein.
This is a very easy dish to put together. You can make up the pesto a day in advance and store it in the fridge if you wish. This will help develop the flavours as well as save you some time.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
50g rocket
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup raw walnuts (pesticide free if possible)
⅓ cup grated organic parmesan
125mL extra virgin olive oil (for the pesto)
300g wholemeal spaghetti
1 tblsp olive oil (for sautéing)
350g baby spinach
450g broccoli, cut into florets
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
200g organic cottage cheese (optional)
Method
Heat a medium sized frying pan on a low heat and toast the walnuts (no need to add oil) for about 5-7 minutes, to give them some crunch. Then set aside. At this point you can roughly chop ½ cup of these walnuts, for serving.
Place the basil, rocket, 2 cloves of the crushed garlic, lemon rind, parmesan, ½ cup of the toasted walnuts and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a high speed blender, and blitz on medium-high to make the pesto. You’ll probably need to scrape down the sides a few times. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil (for the pesto) into the blender as it’s running, until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add salt and black pepper if you wish.
Use a large saucepan to boil up enough water to cook the pasta and broccoli together. Initially cook the pasta on its own for about 6-8 minutes (check the packet for cooking instructions), and add the broccoli 2 minutes before the pasta will be cooked. Once the broccoli has been boiled for the 2 minutes, drain the whole saucepan.
When you add the broccoli to the pasta, heat a large frying pan with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil for sautéing, over a medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves of crushed garlic and the spinach leaves, and stir gently for a couple of minutes, until the spinach starts to wilt.
Add the drained pasta and broccoli, the cherry tomatoes and the pesto to the frying pan and stir to combine the mixture. You may need to add some extra water to this.
For a creamier pasta add the organic cottage cheese.
Serve in bowls and sprinkle some chopped walnuts over the top. Add cracked black pepper for some extra spice.
References:
National Institutes of Health. (2013). Vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals. Retrieved from http://ods.od.nih.gov.
Osiecki, H. (2014). The nutrient bible (9th ed.). Eagle Farm, Qld: Bio Concepts Publishing.
Tabrizian, I. (2015). The visual textbook of nutritional medicine. Bicton, WA: NRS Publications.
I’m a Clinical Nutritionist, Registered Yoga & Meditation Teacher and Mind-Body connection specialist with an entrepreneurial spirit, and I’m here for you. I spend my days passionately exploring the world of food, nutrition and the psychology of eating. I am also passionate about the powerful connection between the Mind and the Body and how this influences physical and mental health. This passion has fired me up to increase my expertise in many forms of meditation and I continue to increase my knowledge every day. I’ve learned that when the body is nourished and the mind is focussed and calm, anything is possible. And this is something everyone can have in their life – including you. If you want it. Head This Way was inspired by my personal journey from corporate burnout survivor to Natural Health Practitioner and Mind-Body connection specialist.
