An easy recipe to use up whatever greens you have growing in the garden, in a vegetarian or vegan pasta dish with nuts and/or seeds for protein. (Cheese is an optional extra.)
Serves 3 – 4 people.
Ingredients:
- Approx 4 cups of chopped greens, for example; Spinach, Silverbeet (Chard), Kale, Basil, Parsley, Broccoli, etc.
- 1/2 a cup of nuts and/or seeds. Eg. Pine nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, or whatever you have lying about.
- 1/4 cup of olive oil. Use more or less depending on your tastes.
- 2-3 cups of dried pasta (or make your own fresh pasta if you prefer.)
- Optional extras for topping – Cheese, broad beans, or leek scapes served lightly toasted on top. A dusting of toasted nuts or seeds.
Method:
Wash greens then roughly chop them.
Wilt down greens on low heat in a pot with a little water.
When greens are soft put them in a blender or food processor and blend together with nuts and olive oil until smooth and creamy, adding small amounts of water until desired consistency is reached.
Return mixture to a pot and continue gently cooking on low heat while you cook the pasta in boiling water.
Toast your toppings or grate cheese if using cheese.
When pasta is ready, strain and add into pasta sauce, mix through. (Or alternatively you can plate pasta and pour sauce over it.)
Serve as is, or top with cheese or toasted nuts or whatever you like. In above picture I’ve topped with toasted leek scapes and broad beans.
