Simple, Healthy and Tasty!

I had some tomatoes I wanted to use up and what better way to do so then by making a yummy and healthy pasta!

I looked in my fridge and the cupboard and collected the following items in addition to the 4 tomatoes:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 a green pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (the 'secret' ingredient)
• 10 thin slices of sopressata
• Feta Cheese (as much or as little as you'd like)
• Spices to taste including: Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

This recipe/dish isn't only healthy, it's VERY simple (and yummy!).

Preheat your oven to 400 (this is to crisp up the sopressata). Heat up the sauce pan on the stove top on medium heat and put in 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Cut up the tomatoes into small chunks (no boiling and peeling the skin off...I leave the skin on) and put them into the pan. Let them begin to break down and add the 2 cloves of garlic (I mince mine into almost a paste), salt, pepper, soy sauce and oregano. Then add the green pepper and continue to let the sauce begin to come together. 

While the sauce is coming together, place the sliced sopressata in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven until it begins to crisp up (approx 8-10 minutes).  Boil the pasta water and then cook the pasta (I used whole wheat) until al dente (you still want it to be a bit firm to absorb some of the sauce). Before you drain the pasta, put about 2 table spoons of pasta water into the sauce.

After draining the pasta, add it directly to the pan with the sauce, along with the spinach, feta cheese and more seasoning to taste. Stir it all together, lower the heat and let the flavours 'meld' together for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Plate the pasta, crumbling the crispy sopressata and more feta on top...and that's it!

The great thing about this is that you could add different ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, olives etc, change ingredients such as substituting bacon for the sopressata or take out the meat entirely to make it a veggie option. It literally starts with 4 tomatoes and a bit of EVOO and you can head in whatever direction you'd like!

RR