spring fling pasta

Spring has sprung!  Well, okay, maybe not quite yet, but the sunshine is back in Vancouver which is always a reason to celebrate.  There's something unique about living in the Pacific NorthWest that only those of us who've endured its winters can truly understand.  I always consider myself lucky that I live in a part of Canada that rarely sees snow, and I never really mind the rain.  When it starts getting grey and rainy for days (or weeks) on end, the start of winter can be rough.  But after adding extra Vitamin D pills to your daily routine you get used to it.  By the time February rolls around and you start going through fits of needing to change your life in some way, you've all but forgotten that the restlessness is more likely due to 4 months without sunshine than anything else.

So when the last few days brought sunshine with them people all over the PNW were going outside throwing their hands up and yelling "Where have you been all my life!".  Okay, maybe that was just me.  But the mood change is palpable around the city.  For me personally the first instinct was to make something gorgeous and fresh for lunch.  As my lack of posting new recipes shows, winter is a time where I cook for comfort.  Baking takes over with full force, and while I'm still making yummy and healthy meals, it's always less exciting.  The springtime, however, brings with it a whole host of fresh ingredients that make tossing together new dishes so easy.

This is a dish I threw together this afternoon for lunch.  It's vegetarian, which is great for anyone who's on the "meatless monday" bandwagon, and I'm positive you won't miss it with this yummy pasta. 

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups (dry) whole grain pasta shells* (I used Barilla's medium shells)
• 1, 6oz (117mL) jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained & flaked
• large handful fresh spinach, washed & squeezed out
• 1 cup marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's marinara)
• 1-2 pieces whole grain bread
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic (it's similar to garlic powder or garlic salt, only way better)
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese (fresh grated or the stuff from a can is fine)
• olive oil to spray

 First up you're going to caramelize some onions.  You can do this step ahead of time if you don't want to do it right before you make dinner.  It's a lot easier than you would think to do, and it takes very little effort.  Put a medium sized saucepan on medium heat and add in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil once the saucepan has gotten warm.  Add in your diced onion and give it a stir.  Let this sit on the stove, checking on it from time to time, until the onions start to turn brown.  It will probably take half an hour to 40 minutes for this to happen.  When they've turned brown, add in your balsamic vinegar and using a wooden spoon mix it all together scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan as you go.  Cook for another 5 minutes, or until most of the vinegar has been reduced, and remove from heat.  Put the caramelized onions in a 2 quart ovenproof bowl, which is the bowl you're going to bake the pasta in.

Next up make 2 cups (dried) pasta according to packaged directions for al dente.  While that's boiling away, drain your jar of artichoke hearts and flake them into the ovenproof bowl that you put your caramelized onions in earlier.  When the pasta is cooked drain it and pour straight into your bowl and mix it into the artichoke hearts & caramelized onions.  Next take your cup of marinara sauce and mix it into your pasta dish.  Follow that with roughly tearing up your fresh spinach and mixing all of the ingredients thoroughly.  When that's done preheat your oven to 350F while you make the topping.

Using 1-2 pieces of whole grain bread you're going to make seasoned breadcrumbs.  I can never understand why anyone buys breadcrumbs when they are so easy & much cheaper if you make them yourself.  Tear up your bread in large pieces and put it into a food processor.  Grind them up until you get coarse breadcrumbs.  At this point add in your granulated garlic and parmesan cheese.  Give it another whiz in the food processor just to mix it through.  Spread the breadcrumbs evenly over your pasta mixture and spray with a little olive oil to prevent burning.

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Serves 2-3.

*I use whole grain pasta & whole grain bread, but if you can't eat wheat feel free to use rice pasta or whatever works for your specific dietary needs.