Picatta Pasta with Spinach

I am not kidding when I say I day dreamt of this pasta last Friday. I was in class and every bone in my body was urging me to make this pasta. I got home, tried out different ingredients, and it was probably one of the top pastas I've ever made. I didn't even realize it was a "picatta" pasta until my bf told me. I used extra virgin olive oil, lemon, capers, parmesan, garlic, freshly ground black pepper, spinach, and butter to make this exquisite pasta.

But Jasmin, how is this considered healthy? Because optimal health and wellness is all about moderation and eating the foods you love.

Some may look at this bowl of pasta and see carbs. I see, fresh pappardelle pasta that has a good source of carbs, capers that contain copper, spinach that contains magnesium, fresh parmesan that contains protein & calcium, and garlic that is anti-microbial. When you start looking at your foods different and see how they can serve you, that's where real food freedom sets in. It's all about ~balance~. So, if I've influenced you to try this delicious bowl of pasta, keep reading for the full recipe.

Yields: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes or less

This recipe is vegetarian.

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Ingredients:

1. Pappardelle pasta (I bought mine from Eataly to ensure high quality ingredients)

2. Fresh parmesan cheese (I bought it from Wegman's)

3. 1 handful of spinach

4. 1 TBSP Kerrygold Pure Irish Unsalted Butter

5. 3 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil

6. Salt

7. Freshly ground black pepper

8. ½ - 1 lemon

9. 3 cloves minced garlic

10. 1 TBSP or more of capers

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Instructions:

1. First, boil a pot of water and salt the water. Once it starts boiling add in your desired amount of pasta. I cooked about 2 serving sizes. I serving is 56grams or 2oz.

2. As the water/pasta is boiling, have your garlic cloves minced and all of your ingredients from 2-10 ready.

3. Grab a large frying pan, turn the heat to medium-high, and drizzle in 3 TBSPs of olive oil, the butter, and garlic.

4. Once you can smell the garlic and the butter melts, add in the capers. Stir.

5. Add in ¼ - ½ cup of the pasta water and squeeze the juice of ½ lemon. Stir.

6. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Then, add in the pasta.

7. Stir well. Add salt and black pepper to your liking.

8. Add in the spinach and stir until the spinach is cooked.

9. Personally, I added the parmesan after I plated the pasta, but you can add it in as it's cooking.

10. Once the pasta has soaked up the sauce and looks like the consistency above, turn off the heat and plate.

11. Add more freshly ground black pepper if you like and some more parmesan.

12. Enjoy!