Spinach, Peanut and Tomato Pasta

Tonight, after today's broken finger treatment dramas, we needed easy-to-eat, quick, comfort food. This recipe fit the bill with ease.


This recipe is adapted from "Mathew's Spicy Tomato Peanut & Kale Pasta" from Sarah Kramer's La DolceVegan. It is quick, easy and delicious. It can be made in about 10-15 minutes.

Spinach, Peanut and Tomato Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced.
1 litre tomato juice
250g frozen spinach
75g smooth peanut butter
500g pasta shapes (I used spirals, but any short pasta works well)
Hot sauce (eg tabasco), black pepper and salt to serve

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta simmers, heat oil in a 2 litre saucepan.
3. Add garlic. Cook on a medium low heat until the garlic becomes golden, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add juice, spinach and peanut butter to pan. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve peanut butter and break up spinach.
5. Drain pasta once it is cooked.
   
6. Once the peanut butter and spinach are mixed well through the sauce, add to the drained pasta. If it is not hot enough, heat on low heat for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the pasta.
7. Serve. Offer hot sauce, salt and pepper.

The original recipe called for chilli garlic sauce to be added to the sauce. This is too hot for my younger children. Instead, I cook garlic into the sauce and the older members of the family add hot sauce to taste at the table. We also like to add a light sprinkle of salt flakes, like Maldon salt flakes.

This is a great favourite in our house and is a regular on our table. The children love it. The green vegetable averse younger children eat the spinach happily. With pasta, spinach, tomato and peanut butter, it is a pretty healthy meal, with carbs, red and green vegetables and protein.

I have made it before for omnivores. It is always popular. My favourite omni, Mr Brisvegan, told me tonight that this was probably the best meal this year, which is ironic considering how easy and thrown-together this recipe is.

The peanut butter, tomato and spinach blend sounds weird, but it is definitely worth a try. Give it a go. You might be pleasantly surprised.