Spaghetti with Greens

A bowl of pasta does not have to mean big calories. To lighten up pasta dishes, try Barilla Plus or whole wheat pasta. It adds a hearty, nutty flavor.Tossed with greens, and topped with toasted pine nuts, kalamata olives and pecorino cheese, you have a delicious, satisfying meal without feeling guilty.







Toast 2 tablespoons pine nuts in a skillet over high heat, being very careful not to burn. They will quickly.

Heat 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 onions, thinly sliced and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. add about 14 cups trimmed and chopped swiss chard, spinach or other greens of your choice. Saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and saute 1 minute. Stir in 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice, 1/4 cup dry white wine, and black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a boil; decrease heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally. You are looking for the tomatoes to begin breaking down and the greens very tender. Perhaps 5 minutes will do the trick. Season mixture with salt.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (salted if you want to) to a boil. add 8 ounces of Barilla Plus or whole wheat spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. Barilla Plus and whole wheat pasta takes a little longer to cook than regular pasta. Drain spaghetti and add to the greens mixture; toss to combine.

Serve pasta in individual bowls; sprinkle each serving with chopped kalamata olives (about 1/4 cup all together), pecorino cheese to taste, and the toasted pine nuts. Makes enough for 2 to 4 main course servings, depending on the type eaters you are feeding.

Spaghetti con Pancetta, Pecorino e Pepe Nero - Spaghetti with Pancetta, Pecorino Romano & Black Pepper

When I was a very small girl I wasn't fond of red sauce on my pasta so Nana would make mine with what I thought was just butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. When I tried making this myself a few years back, I found it to be dry, sticky and not the greatest flavor. I have learned the secret that Italian housewives use when making a simple pasta dish with only a few tablespoons of butter, oil, pancetta, or vegetables, and that is adding a bit of the starchy pasta water to the skillet, which in cooking down moistens the pasta and thickens the sauce.

This dish is called Spaghetti all'Amatriciana Bianca in Roma by those born and raised there. They claim that this dish is most authentic to the red sauce version. In the Roma version you would use dried red pepper flakes, adding them when you do the pancetta to add not only spice but heat to the dish. Whether you choose to use black pepper or dried red pepper flakes in this dish, the pepper is the key ingredient. Without it the pasta is on the bland side.

Ingredients Needed to Make This Dish:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound thickly sliced pancetta, cut into small strips
Kosher salt to taste
1 pound spaghetti or bucatini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter together in a skillet over medium heat.

When the butter foams add the pancetta. (If you chose to use dried red pepper flakes, add them now as well. Start with a pinch and go from there to taste.) Cook gently, over medium heat (or lower if browning too fast), until the pancetta is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes or so.

Bring a large pot of water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and the spaghetti. (I use Barilla Plus multi grain spaghetti.) Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is cooked al dente (tender but firm to the bite). Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.

Stir in the reserved pasta water, parsley, and cheese. Mix over low heat until the pasta is well dressed with the sauce. Taste and season with salt if necessary (the pancetta is already quite salty) and add your black pepper to taste. You will use more than you normally would put in most dishes. Serve piping hot with a bit more cheese.