Super Easy Fennel Spinach Pasta

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  • Minutes to Prepare:
  • Minutes to Cook:
  • Number of Servings: 5
Ingredients
1 Fennel Bulb, very thinly sliced1 medium onion, very thinly slicedThyme (optional)1 16oz bag of pasta (I use bowtie usually, but anthing would work)1 Can of tomato paste (6oz)2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed1 15oz can of white beans1 Bag of spinach
Directions
While waiting for a BIG pot of salted water to boil, prep the fennel & onions, then start to carmelize them together, adding thyme, if desired.

Continue to carmelize the fennel & onions while the pasta cooks. Occasionally, add a dip of the boiling salted water to the fennel & onion pan to help them cook faster.

When the pasta is about half finished, scrape the carmelized fennel and onions to the side, and put the whole can of tomato paste into the pan and let it cook down and carmelize. Add the garlic at the same time and cook for 1 minute, then dip about a cup of the water out of the pasta pot, and put it in with the tomato paste, garlic, onion & fennel pot and mix together. Reduce until very thick.

Add 1/2 cup more pasta water, the beans and the spinach. Immediately put the al dente pasta on top and let the spinach wilt for 30-60 seconds. Reserve the pasta water in case the sauce is too thick.

Add 1/2 cup more pasta water if necessary, season as necessary with salt & pepper, stir and serve.

This doesn't need any cheese, but vegan parmesan or mozzerella is good.

Makes 4 or 5 BIG servings. We eat this as an entree.

Number of Servings: 5

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LYNDSAYMW.

Servings Per Recipe: 5
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 265.1
  • Total Fat: 1.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 30.1 mg
  • Sodium: 307.3 mg
  • Total Carbs: 51.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 7.0 g
  • Protein: 13.3 g

Member Reviews
  • BEHAPPY0201
    We had this tonight and it was awful - even after 30 minutes the fennel was still hard - I put the thyme, garlic and pepper it but it had no flavor and the spinach tasted like dirt. Will not make again - 4/23/09