Author Notes
When you find yourself with an abundance of greens that need to be used up because they're wilting fast, bake them into this warm, nutritious, Midwestern-feel-good pasta dish. Rest assured (for the greens-averse in your home), you'll barely taste the greens because they wilt down and the other flavors shine through. I've used dinosaur kale, spinach, collards, radish greens, and beet greens with success. This meal will make your home smell like an Italian restaurant, and its warmth and density will leave you full and satisfied. —Jacqueline
Ingredients
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12 ounces
100% whole grain pasta (brown rice or whole einkorn wheat work especially well)
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25 ounces
Jar of vodka cream sauce
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1/2 cup
Filtered water
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2 handfuls
Chopped organic greens (dinosaur kale, spinach, collards, radish greens, or beet greens)
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1-2 teaspoons
Freshly crushed or chopped garlic
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1/4 cup
Chopped red onion
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2 teaspoons
Cold-pressed, unfiltered, extra virgin olive oil
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2 teaspoons
Italian seasoning
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1 cup
Fresh basil
Directions
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Heat your oven to 400°F
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Empty your package of dry pasta into a deep oven-safe dish.
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Pour a bottle of pasta sauce on top of it. Any pasta sauce will do, but vodka cream is especially conducive.
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Fill the sauce jar with about 1?2 cup of filtered water, shake, and pour over the pasta.
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Chop the garlic and onion. Let the garlic stand in open air for 5 minutes for maximum allicin production. Then add both onion and garlic over the pasta sauce.
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Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the entire dish.
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Stir well ensuring that all of the pasta is in contact with the sauce/water mixture.
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Cover and bake for 10 minutes at 400°F.
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Meanwhile, finely chop your washed greens in a food processor (or with a knife).
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Now add the greens to the pasta dish. Stir everything really well so that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. (Adding the greens later in the cooking process helps
preserve their vitamins and minerals.)
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Chiffonade your fresh basil.
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When the pasta is al dente, take it out of the oven. Stir in the fresh basil, drizzle with your best finishing olive oil, and serve.
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