If Only I Were Italian…

I don’t have an accent, I don’t talk with my hands, and I don’t know anyone in the Mafia.  But I love, love, love pasta.  Rotini, ravioli, spaghetti, fettuccini…  Just writing the words makes me hungry!  Growing up, my brother and I always ate our pasta plain with a huge heap of Kraft Parmesan cheese on top.  Real delicious and gourmet, I know.  Eventually I graduated to freshly grated Parmesan and, on days where I was really feeling brave, tomato sauce with onions in it.  (I had a thing against onions for the longest time, so agreeing to eat that sauce basically took as much courage as it would to go skydiving.  Trust me, it was a huge deal.)  Now I’ve turned rather adventurous and experiment with a vast variety of ingredients to mix in, some of which would make any Italian grandmother faint, but as long as it tastes good, she doesn’t need to know…

Italian Flag Pasta

serves 1

Increase the amount of onion as you see fit; that’s just what was in my fridge.  I added the garlic after sautéing the onion to avoid burning it.  Serve pasta with a slice of warm, crusty bread.

¾ c. dry pasta

½ tbsp olive oil

¼ of an onion, or a small shallot, roughly chopped

1 small tomato, cut into small chunks

1 clove garlic, minced

1 handful of baby spinach

½ tbsp Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

1. Boil water in a small saucepan.  Cook pasta according to directions, drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium pan.  Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and slightly golden.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add tomato and spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach wilts and turns deep green.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add pasta to pan and stir until combined.  Place pasta on a plate, top with Parmesan cheese, and serve warm.