Meat Free Monday

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Today’s recipe is dedicated to my friend Luann who was telling me all about the veggies she is planting in her garden, including broccoli. It is a great choice for her garden as it is so rich in many nutrients. In fact, it packs the most nutritional punch of any vegetable. Broccoli’s noteworthy nutrients  include vitamins C, and A, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium and fiber. Calcium may play a role in preventing colon cancer and both beta-carotene and vitamin C are important antioxidants that have been linked to a  reduced risk for several cancers.

Ricotta, Spinach and Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients

250g fresh spinach
150g broccoli, chopped
100g ricotta cheese
75g (dry weight) penne pasta or your preferred pasta
1 vegetable stock cube
15ml soy sauce
Black pepper
Shavings of parmesan cheese

Method

Bring water to the boil in a pot and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Be careful not to over cook as it should be “al dente”.

If you have a steamer, place it over the boiling pasta, and place the broccoli and spinach in to cook in the steam for 5 minutes. Otherwise, boil some water in a pot and add the vegetable stock cube and place the washed spinach and broccoli into it and cook for 5 minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, strain and place in your serving bowl.

Strain the cooked spinach and broccoli and place in a separate bowl.

Mix together the spinach, broccoli, ricotta cheese and soy sauce with a fork, and for spinach leaves break them in smaller pieces with kitchen scissors.

Place the mix over your pasta in your serving dish. Sprinkle a few shavings of parmesan cheese and black pepper and serve.

 
Category : Healthy Recipes
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