I absolutely love easy, quick pasta dishes that can be made with ingredients on hand, and this Crazy Greek Pasta is one such dish.



This recipe originates from my half-Italian half-Greek roommate's collection and we absolutely love it here at my house.

It's cheesy, rich, and filling but it is still chock full of healthy ingredients like spinach and whole wheat pasta.



Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 yellow onions chopped or 1 bag of frozen chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or 4 frozen garlic cubes
• 2 bags of baby spinach (can be frozen if needed)
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ t. oregano
• 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese + a little extra feta for sprinkling
• ¼ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ½ c. pasta water
• 1 lb. of whole wheat pasta such as rotini, shells, bowties or campanelle (something with crevices to catch the spinach)
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• red or white wine (optional)
• pine nuts for topping (optional)
• white beans (optional)

Directions:
Set water to boil for pasta while preparing sauce.

In a pot large enough to hold cooked pasta, place olive oil and onion over medium high heat. Saute onions until they begin to brown. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute for another minute, and then deglaze with a dash of wine if desired. Add chopped spinach to the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Season with oregano, salt and pepper, keeping in mind that feta cheese is quite salty. Stir spinach until it begins to wilt and is coated with the oil. Cover and allow the spinach to cook down (spinach should have no trace of rawness and will have released a good bit of moisture) for about 5 minutes. Remove lid and turn off the heat. Crumble feta cheese evenly on top of spinach mixture, but do not stir it in, allowing the cheese to begin to soften (it will continue to melt once pasta goes into pan). Set mixture aside (the sauce can sit for up to an hour before the cooked pasta is added)

Boil pasta until al dente. When pasta is done, reserve ½ c. of the cooking water. Drain pasta and add it to the spinach mixture. Add parmesan cheese and toss gently- adjust seasoning if necessary. If the mixture seems too dry add a little pasta water to aid in coating pasta- if the spinach has released a lot of moisture you may not need to add any water (this pasta will not be swimming in sauce; a coating is all that is desired). Serve with crumbled feta cheese, pine nuts, parmesan and red pepper flakes as toppings.



Can you tell I like specific instructions? ;) Although it looks long, it is actually super easy and in no time, you have a quick and filling dinner on the table. I also like to add white beans to boost the protein for us vegetarians!