Mediterranean Pasta with Artichokes

This zesty Mediterranean pasta has become my favorite to-go-to pasta recipe. Marinated artichokes, kalamata olives, and grape tomatoes are cooked to perfection with vegetable broth. The pasta is served sprinkled with finely grated Parmesan cheese, crushed pepper flakes, and fresh basil.

• 12 oz angel hair spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 12-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained (If you have two jars- even better!)
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving!)
• fresh basil for garnish 

1. Cook angel hair according to package instructions. Drain and return pasta to pot.

2. In a large skillet on high heat saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic cloves for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and bell peppers are tender. Add grape tomatoes and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add artichoke hearts, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Cook for 3 more minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and heat through. Finally add kalamata olives. Season with salt if needed. Remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the cooked angel hair spaghetti into the sauce to make sure it is well coated. Mix in the Parmesan cheese. Serve sprinkled with fresh basil and additional cheese.

Baked Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a great alternative to regular pasta. For this recipe, I've used store-bought frozen gnocchi and mixed them up with a flavorful home-made sauce, wilted spinach, and mozzarella. It's as easy as it is delicious.

Serves 6

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes with liquid
• 2 tsp dry oregano
• pinch chili flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups tightly packed spinach
• 2 16-oz packages frozen gnocchi
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella 
• fresh basil for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350F. To prepare the sauce, heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add red bell pepper and continue sauteing for 5 more minutes occasionally stirring. Add diced tomatoes, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let the sauce bubble for 10 minutes on low. Remove from the heat. Keep warm.

2. Heat a pan with high sides on medium. Gradually add handfuls of spinach to the pan and wait until it wilts. Stir occasionally. Spinach leaves have enough water that using oil is not necessary for wilting. Once all of the spinach is wilted, remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Stir the cooked gnocchi and wilted spinach into the sauce. Mix well. Transfer the mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve sprinkled with fresh basil.

Vegan Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I love pasta! I worked on this recipe for three weekends in a row. I think I'm finally ready to share it with my friends. This is a fun, yet very simple, recipe that could please your family or your guests. It's fully plant-based, but you actually wouldn't notice much difference. The base for the vegan ricotta is silken tofu, a soft and creamy type of tofu that blends nicely with different flavors. Nutritional yeast adds a slight taste of cheese to the vegan ricotta. Basil, oregano, and lemon juice work together to create an amazing blend of flavor.

• 2 14-oz packs organic silken tofu, liquid drained
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 tsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 8 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 6 cups marinara sauce
• 12 oz jumbo shells
• fresh basil for garnish

Making "Ricotta"

In a medium bowl mash silken tofu using a potato masher. Add garlic, onions, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, basil, and oregano. Mix everything well and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

Sauteing Spinach

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add fresh spinach and saute for 5 minutes occasionally stirring. The spinach should wilt but maintain its bright green color. Remove from the heat and allow to chill.

Stuffing the shells

Preheat oven to 375F. Cook jumbo shells according to package instructions, al dante. Allow to chill enough so that you can handle them without burning yourself. Combine the tofu mixture with spinach. Spray a large shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the marinara sauce into the dish. Stuff each shell with a generous amount of the tofu "ricotta" and spinach mixture. Arrange shells in a baking dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the shells are heated through and the sauce is bubbling. Serve hot garnished with fresh basil. 

Creamy Vegetable Casserole

This is my new favorite recipe when I need delicious healthy comfort food. Fully plant-based, it contains no meat or dairy. Packed with cannellini beans, it satisfies even my protein-concerned husband. It also makes perfect left-over lunches. Since I'm working full-time and going to school full-time, this means a lot to me because I have very little time to cook during the week. Give it a try!

• 16 oz whole wheat pasta (short variety)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 8 oz green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 8 oz can tomato paste
• 16 oz can cannellini beans
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 6 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp paprika
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta according to package instructions until barely underdone. Drain. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Add carrots, celery, and green beans. Cook for another 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add cannellini beans and green peas. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat. Combine vegetables with pasta. Spray deep casserole dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixed with vegetables into casserole dish.

3. In a medium saucepan heat 1 cup of vegetable broth. Whisk in wheat flour while quickly stirring. Slowly add remaining broth. Add parsley, thyme, basil, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

4. Pour sauce over pasta. Cover with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove casserole dish from oven. Uncover. Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs on top. Put back into oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until breadcrumbs brown.

Bok Choy Noodles With Egg

Bok choy is an obscure vegetable that I often neglect in the produce aisle. It is full of Vitamin A, C, and Calcium. I've tried it in stir fries and pastas a few times and now I'm a big fan. I love the gentle sweet flavor of both the green leaves and the white stems. I used this leafy goodness to create an Italian-style dish with an Asian twist! This recipe serves 6.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4-6 cups bok choy, thinly sliced 
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1 lb your favorite noodles or whole wheat spaghetti 
• 6 green onions
• Parmesan cheese 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. On medium saute onions and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add bok choy, bell peppers, and celery. Saute vegetables for about 8 minutes. Add broth, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Heat through and simmer for 3 minutes. Season to taste. Turn off the heat. Keep warm.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Crack eggs into the pot. Reduce heat to low. Poach for about 4 minutes. You can just fry the eggs sunny-side up if you don't want to deal with poaching. That approach works great for this dish too.

Cook noodles or spaghetti according to the package directions. When noodles are cooked, mix them with vegetable mixture and broth. Put noodles on plates and top each plate with a poached egg, fresh green onions, and Parmesan. Your colorful dish is ready to be served! Enjoy!