Whole-Wheat Pasta with Veggies

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Veggies
Serves 4

Bell peppers – or you might use olives – balance the hardier flavor of whole-wheat to make this a stand-out dish. And forget al dente when using this type of pasta since it really needs to be tender so, as they say, “follow the directions on the package”.


8 oz dried whole-wheat fusilli, or another shape of your choice
2 Tbsp olive oil
One 8-oz package sliced mushrooms
One 6-oz bag baby spinach, rinsed
1/3 cup roasted red bell peppers (from a jar), sliced match stick size
Salt & ground black pepper


Start the pasta and cook according to package directions.

In a large, lidded frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring every minute or so, until the mushrooms begin to brown and release their moisture, 5 or 6 minutes. Add the spinach, reduce heat and cover the pan to steam the spinach for about a minute. Uncover and stir so it cooks down evenly. (This will only take a couple minutes.) Add the red pepper strips, salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Drain the cooked pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and add the veggie mixture. Toss to combine and serve immediately