One Pan Meal: Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Kale
Delicious healthy meals can be simple, filling and without a lot of clean up. This vegan meal was adapted from the New York Times pull out section featuring a variety of one pan meals. Click here to see the original recipe.
This one pan Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Kale meal does not require a lot of prep. Be sure to slightly thaw your Beyond Meat Italian Sausage, so it is easy to cut into rounds. Slice your tomatoes in half. Remove kale leaves from their stems and chop. Zest two lemons. You’re ready to cook! The original recipe says it serves 4, but would easily serve 6.
Reminder: leafy greens are on the Environmental Working Groups Dirty Dozen list of vegetables with the highest residue of pesticides. This is one category of produce that warrants buying organic. You will only find organic produce at Choices, so that’s an easy decision when shopping with us.
Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Kale
1 package Beyond Meat Spicy Italian Sausage (don’t worry, it’s not too spicy), sliced into rounds
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)
2 lemons, zested
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. kosher salt (plus more to taste)
1 bunch of kale (or spinach) leaves only, chopped
fresh basil (optional)
black pepper
Heat 2 T. of olive oil in a large skillet (big enough for the dry spaghetti to lay flat.) Add the Italian “sausage” rounds and brown. (about 2 minutes on each side) Remove and place on a clean plate.
Bring a little over a quart of water to a boil (I used an extra 1.5 cups of water)
While the water is getting hot, place the spaghetti, tomatoes, lemon zest, oil and 2 t. kosher salt in the large skillet you cooked the “sausage” in.
Carefully, add the boiling water to the skillet with the spaghetti. Cover the pan, and bring to a boil. Then remove the lid and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring often to make sure the spaghetti doesn’t stick.
Add the kale (or spinach) a handful at a time, letting it wilt and reduce in volume. Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and pasta is cooked through. Carefully add the Beyond Meat Italian Sausage, slow stir, as the skillet is getting very full.
If adding the fresh basil, tear leaves and stir into the pasta. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste. ENJOY!
Feedback on the finished dish:
The slightly lemon flavor combined with tomatoes, cooked down, was a hit.
It was pretty cool how pouring the boiling water over the spaghetti cooked it to a great texture and gave thickness to the sauce.
The vegan sausage added additional flavor. If you choose not to include it, you may want to taste the sauce and decide if you'd like to throw in a few pinches of red pepper flakes or maybe some oregano. But, no doubt, the sauce prepared as written in the original recipe would be outstanding as well.