Pasta With Olives And Vegetables

In this Recipe, we are going to venture into the Italian side of Plant-Based eating. We have pasta, Fresh vegetables, Breadcrumbs and Fresh lemon. This Italian Based meal is very filling and very easy to prepare. This is a big hit in my family and will be in yours as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Pasta of choice

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

6 mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, Minced

1 small can of sliced black olives

2 cups spinach, packed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup +3 tbsp Italian style bread crumbs

1 cup pasta water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

juice of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot add water and bring to a boil. Add pasta. Stir to separate the pasta to keep from sticking together.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, Add the coconut oil and the bell pepper. Cook until slightly tender.
3. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and olives and cook until the mushrooms are tender. About 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste along with the Italian seasonings. Cook about 2 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Cook about 2 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to soak up the flavor and lightly toasted.
4. By this time the pasta should be done. Check and make sure the pasta is done. It should have a slight bite in the middle of the pasta.
5. Using a 1 cup measuring cup remove 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
6. Add the pasta to the vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Add the pasta water and nutritional yeast and toss to coat.
7. Add the lemon juice and toss again. Make sure to toss well so the lemon juice is well incorporated.

Plate and top with more nutritional yeast if desired.

This is such an easy meal and yet, very filling. It is also travel-friendly and tastes good hot or cold. I have also added cherry tomatoes to the mix as well and it turned out very nice.

This is not a very healthy recipe but a lot more healthy than other alternatives. You can use any pasta you choose. In this recipe, I used just regular pasta as that is all I had on hand at the time. I love brown rice pasta as well along with any other healthier alternatives.

The nutritional yeast adds the cheesy flavor that traditional Italians love in their dishes. The breadcrumbs add a creamy thick texture to the pasta dish and the lemon juice brightens up the flavor.