Cavatappi, Spinach, Asiago

[Joyce]

This recipe (C/L Classics and 10/96) is the best meatless meal I have ever served my non-meatless DH. I give it a 10 and even he gave it a 9. Great flavors all combine for a wonderful taste. Takes all of ten minutes to prepare. Filling with large helpings. Just wonderful.

[BethH]

Is this the one with the cannellini beans?

If so, we are crazy about this one too! I served it to DB's meat-loving father and he ate every bean and asked for more! Fast and yummy!

[hhcowgirl]

Is there any way you could post this? Can't seem to find it . . .

[Joyce]

If someone cannot post it from Mastercook, I will type out and post when I get home tonight.

[Peggy]

Thanks Joyce, for reminding me about this recipe. In the past, several members have raved about it and I have wanted to try it. I'm writing this done on my list so I don't forget again. Just have to find the time to locate it in my Annual cookbooks!

Peggy

[Cbyerman]

This is my first try exporting a recipe from Mastercook, so bear with me.....

CB

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cavatappi with Spinach, Beans, and Asiago Cheese

8 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
4 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 6 ounces
uncooked spiral-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1(19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans -- drained
2 garlic cloves -- crushed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, if desired.

Serving Size: 2 cups

Source:
"Cooking Light, April 1997, p.196"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 481 Calories; 12g Fat (22.7% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 72g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 362mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 Fat.

NOTES : For a simple dish, this contains many healthful ingredients, plus the flavors are complex. If you toss the spinach and Asiago cheese while the pasta is still warm, the spinach will wilt and the cheese will soften. When this happens, the flavors blend and become more pungent. This is peasant food at its best.
—Associate Food Editor Cynthia LaGrone
Nutr. Assoc. : 5085 2836 0 0 0 5512 0 25000 161

[laughsandlaughs]

So this recipe is good without any doctoring? I usually like Cooking Light recipes but often find them a little bland for me, in need of some jazzing up. This one's good without any help??

[Joyce]

I guess it all depends on what you like. The taste of the garlic comes through well and melds beautifully with the cheese, etc. I also used fresh ground pepper. I hate to overpower delicate flavors and blendings with a lot of spice, but that's just me.

[S]

I went in search of the recipe and found a different one. It looks good also.

Pasta with Asiago Cheese and Spinach

Fusilli, penne, or any other medium-sized pasta can be substituted for the cavatappi.

3 cups boiling water
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil (about 2cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 12 ounces uncooked ridged, spiral pasta)
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach, torn
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Drain and chop. Combine tomatoes,oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Add pasta and spinach; toss gently. Sprinkle with cheeses; toss gently.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 cups).

CALORIES 302 (28% from fat); FAT 9.3g (sat 3.6g, mono 4g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 14.4g; CARB 41.8g; FIBER 2.50g; CHOL 16mg; IRON 2.70mg; SODIUM 606mg; CALC 257

[Mousie29]

Curious about what you think about the recipe with sundried tomatoes, spinach, asiago.........

I think this is in the 1999 annual.

I was disappointed with the taste, especially since I spent a lot of $$ on ingredients. Any thoughts? Maybe I should get the spinach to taste better; I just got it out of a bag.

I would like to try the recipe with white beans though since I still have the asiago on hand.

[ElinorC]

Here's a similar recipe with feta cheese. It's from the 5 Star Cookbook and we love it.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Cavatappi With Spinach and Feta

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 3 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pasta Side Dish


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------

2 cups spinach -- coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked cavatappi -- (6 oz uncooked)
1/4 cup feta cheese -- crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 19 ounce can chickpeas, canned -- drained
1 clove garlic -- crushed
dash black pepper
lemon wedges

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Yield: 3 servings of 1 1/3 cups each

Per serving: 318 Calories (kcal); 9g Total Fat; (25% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 11mg Cholesterol; 514mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

[Peggy]

At the risk of being unpopular, I must be totally honest and say that I finally tried the Cavatappi, Spinach & Asiago recipe from 10/96 and I was a little disappointed. Though it was OK, I thought it was going to be spectacular after all of the good reviews. I think it needed a little more seasoning. Just my humble opinion... I wanted to post this to guide those that like more flavor.

Peggy

[SusanL]

We have made the first and last recipes listed but with a twist. I sauteed all the vegetables-actually add onion to sautee with garlic, then wilt the spinach on top at the end. It is not really a pasta type salad, but ... it works for us. Once I made it using the directions and my husband was so dissapointed, I had to nuke it so that the spinach was lightly cooked. The two above mentioned recipes are standbys for late night dinner, as we always seem to have the ingredients on hand.

[laughsandlaughs]

Here's a method I saw on a cooking show for wilting spinach just right (if you want it wilted in a pasta mixture)... Put the spinach in a colander and rinse and rinse until it's all clean (if it's prewashed just put it in the colander anyway) and when the pasta is done cooking just pour it over top of the spinach. The heat from the pasta water and the pasta itself does the trick and you don't have to try to fit all that spinach into a pot.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif