Noodles with Greens and Garlic – 20 Minute Meal

Noodles are the best for a quick comforting meal – this recipe is super quick and healthy with greens and garlic. 

The first thing is to find the noodle that works best for your tastes. My go-to are buckwheat noodles, warming in winter, and when chilled hearty enough for a main meal in summer. But they do contain wheat and the dreaded gluten!

For non gluten options I recommend brown rice spaghetti. It’s got that nice chubby feeling between the teeth that makes Asian wheat flour noodles so yummy.

The second thing is to choose your greens – prewashed spinach, arugula, or baby kale is the easiest because it can be wilted with the hot water from the pasta.

Next you want to have a tangy bite – roasted jarred red peppers and capers work great, pitted olives can also be a great addition.

Finally you want some protein – chickpeas or white beans are my favorites – choose BPA free cans so you don’t get those nasty xenoestrogens!

This is a recipe by feel – measurements are approximate so don’t get too stuck on them.

Noodles with Greens and Garlic – a 20 minute meal

serves 3-4

• put 1 quart of water on the stove on high heat
• place a few handfuls of pre-washed greens in a colander
• slice up a few cloves of garlic and put them in a medium fry pan with some olive oil on medium low heat to brown slowly
• slice up some roasted red pepper into strips
• open and drain your beans and have a jar of capers handy
• by now your water should be boiling so add an 8.8oz package of bukwheat noodles, or 1/2 pound of brown rice pasta, stirring well
• BTW – buckwheat noodles will cook in 3 minutes or so, so keep an eye on them – brown rice pasta should be boiled for 5 minutes or so, then turn it off and let it sit until al denté
• while the pasta is cooking, stir the garlic – when it is golden add the red pepper strips, beans, and two tablespoons of capers
• stir the contents of the fry pan until just heated through, while stirring and keeping an eye on the pasta!
• when the pasta is almost but not quite done, drain the hot water over the greens and empty the hot pasta on top of them
• shake them around well to release excess water
• in a big bowl, add the pasta and greens, and the garlic with veggies
• add olive oil, black pepper and sea salt to taste, tossing to make sure the noodles are well coated and won’t clump together.

Options:

• you can add toasted seeds or nuts to this for added crunch and protein
• some white balsamic will add to that sweet tang from the capers and roasted red peppers
• red chili flakes would be completely at home here

The first time you do this 20 minute meal, it may take a little longer than 20 minutes, but as you get used to the rhythm, you can probably get it down to 15