Making a nourishing meal during the week can feel like quite a chore, especially if you’re not someone who likes to plan ahead. With so much happening in the week, cooking is often the last thing we want to do when we get home in the evening, especially if you’re lost for inspiration on what to make.
Making a nourishing meal doesn’t always have to take a lot of time and preparation, however, and you’ll find that you can often do more with fewer ingredients than you might think. Cooking meals that come together in just one pot is always an added bonus, too, as this means less time spent cleaning up, like this one from Deliciously Ella. The food writer’s recipe for creamy spinach pasta is the “ultimate one-pan wonder” and comes together in just 15 minutes with “minimal prep” in the kitchen. Using plenty of spinach, it’s also an incredibly nourishing meal to make any time of year, ensuring you get the most from this easy but filling dish.
When choosing what to eat for dinner, it’s important to consider how what we eat can impact digestion and even our sleep patterns. Packed with iron and vitamin C, spinach is great for maintaining healthy energy levels and a functioning immune system, which can contribute to more restful sleep.
Using spinach, lemons and cashews, this recipe is an easy way to load up on essential nutrients, providing 40% of your recommended daily iron intake and 50% of your vitamin C.
The recipe also calls for sunflower seeds, which are a great source of antioxidants in our diet, meaning you can whip up an easy midweek meal that has a number of health benefits in practically no time.
How to make one pan creamy spinach pasta
For the pasta:
75g pasta of choice
60g frozen peas
For the sauce:
Method
Soak the cashews and sunflower seeds in boiling water and leave to soak for five minutes. While they’re soaking, start the sauce.
Place a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes before adding the spinach with a pinch of salt. Keep stirring for a few minutes until wilted.
Add the spinach to a blender with the soaked cashews and sunflower seeds, as well as the water from this. Then add your milk juice along with the lemon juice and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Rinse the saucepan and fill with water. Bring this to a boil and cook the pasta, adding the peas to the water one minute before the pasta is done. Reserve a mug of the pasta water, and drain the pastas and peas from the saucepan.
Return the pasta and peas to the saucepan and pour the sauce in. Add some of the pasta cooking water and stir until the pasta is coated in the sauce, and the sauce appears thick. Add more pasta water as needed.
Serve and enjoy immediately.