Pasta with Spinach and Beans

This is one of those vague recipes that I adapted from a Cooking light recipe. The original called for cavatappi pasta which is great but I use Penne most of the time since it's what I have on hand. It also called for Asiago cheese which I never have and have only used Parmesan. I love the Andouille chicken sausage that is sold at Costco. I add it in this recipe sometimes and it is fantastic. The great thing about this recipe is that it's fast, filling and it's so easy to substitute or swap ingredients. I have used great northern beans as a substitute for cannellini beans but they are rather soft and mushy so I prefer the cannellini beans.

Ingredients

6-8  cups  coarsely chopped spinach leaves

8 oz. pasta (cavatappi, spiral, penne)

2  tablespoons  olive oil

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  pepper

2  garlic cloves, crushed

1  (19-ounce) can cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans), rinsed and drained

1/2  cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta as directed. Place spinach in large bowl. In small bowl combine oil, salt,  pepper and garlic. Drain pasta and combine with spinach. Add beans, oil mixture and cheese to pasta and toss.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, if desired.

                               

Pico de Gallo

My sister-in-law, Tara makes really good Pico de Gallo. She can probably make it in her sleep but this is what she told me to do. I like to add a jalepeno pepper when I'm feeling spicy.

1/2-1 onion, chopped
1/2-1 green bell pepper, chopped
2-5 Roma tomatoes or 1-2 large tomatoes
garlic to taste
salt to taste
cilantro to taste
lime juice to taste

Chop and combine everything.

I've found it best to let it sit for a while in the fridge before serving. If you don't want it as juicy, de-seed the tomatoes.

Taco Soup

This soup is one that I make regularly when I'm trying to shed a few pounds. It's low fat, filling and full of fiber. But, it does make a really big batch so it's a good to make for a crowd or to freeze part for later. It's also good with Monterrey Jack cheese or with broken chips sprinkled on to.

1 large onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can white kidney beans, not drained
1 can black beans, not drained
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can chicken broth
(All cans are approx. 14-16 oz.)

Mix all ingredients together and simmer covered for 1 hour.

Makes 15 cups. May be frozen.
Serving size = 1 cup

Spinach-Feta Calzone Casserole

I just tried this tonight and it is oh, so good. It takes a bit of prep ahead of time but it is worth it. Here's the link to the recipe from Cooking Light.

Yield 6 servings
WW Points = 5