Switching to whole-grain pasta
Remember when I said I’m not an obsessive health nut? Well, I like my regular refined pasta too much to completely switch over to the whole-grain variety — I feel kind of guilty admitting that in a blog that includes “health” in its name. I mean, I totally agree with dietitian Liz Pearson it’s important to be patient when trying whole-grain pasta — that it takes awhile to come around to liking the nuttier denseness of it — and believe me, I’ve given it a shot and it’s okaaaay…but I much prefer the good old refined kind.
But, given that Pearson, co-author of Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health, names whole grains as a central part of an eating plan designed for disease prevention, I’m willing to make the switch, say, half of the time I make pasta.
And I loved the sound of her recipe for Rotini with Artichoke Hearts and Dried Cranberries — artichokes rank almost as high as bacon does in terms of my favourite ingredients. So when I came home starving after a yoga class this Sunday, it was the perfect super-quick meal to pull together.
And it was definitely yummy — sweet but also spicy at the same time (thanks to the combo of dried cranberries and red pepper flakes).
But here’s the thing: The recipe apparently makes six servings…and G. and I polished off almost all of the dish ourselves. Which means we probably inhaled about 2.5 servings each. I’ve never thought my portions were so far off — this is something I’ll definitely be paying attention to. Stay tuned.
Here’s the recipe (let me know if you’re full after a 1 3/4 cup serving btw because we sure weren’t!):
375 grams whole grain rotini, such as Catelli® Healthy Harvest® Whole Wheat Rotini
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts
1 can (170 mL/6 oz fl) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 cup (227g/160 mL) dried cranberries
1 bag (227g/8 oz) baby spinach
½ tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Grated Parmesan cheese
- Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced onion and pine nuts and sauté for about three to five minutes or until the onion is cooked.
- Add the chopped artichoke hearts, dried cranberries, spinach, red pepper flakes and pepper. Sauté for another two to three minutes or until the spinach just starts to wilt.
- Add the garlic and sauté the entire mixture for about one more minute.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and toss with the skillet ingredients.
- Serve sprinkled with freshly grated, Parmesan cheese. Garnish with slices of fresh lemon.
Makes 6 servings (each serving is about 1 3/4 cups)
Nutritional Analysis (per serving):
418 calories
12 grams fat
2 grams saturated fat
0 grams trans fat
65 grams carbohydrate
11 grams fibre
13 grams sugars
258 milligrams sodium
14 grams protein
Leave a Comment February 10, 2010