Budget Recipes #3: Spinach
Pesto spinach panini, spinach strawberry salad, and spinach alfredo pasta
Pesto Spinach Panini
Ingredients: tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, pesto, spinach, 2 slices bread
Make a sandwich as normal using all of the ingredients, then simply pop in a toaster oven until cheese melts slightly. You can also warm up in a skillet that’s covered with a lid. Or, of course, a panini press.
You could also add shredded chicken into the mix.
Spinach Strawberry Salad
Ingredients: spinach, strawberries, feta cheese, vinaigrette of choice
Optional toppings: slivered almonds, a bit of red onion, sunflower seeds
A bit too simple, but all you have to do is combine everything and top with a little crumbled feta cheese.
Spinach Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients (serves 2-3): 6oz (170g) pasta of choice, 2 cups (4.8dl) spinach leaves, 3tbsp (45ml) milk, 3/4 cup (1.75dl) parmesan cheese, 2tbsp (30ml) butter
Start by boiling a pot of water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Preferably until ‘al dente’. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water when draining the pot. Set pasta aside.
In a pan over medium heat, add about 2 spoonfuls of the pasta water and cook the spinach leaves until just wilted. Set aside in a bowl.
Back to using the pot that you cooked the pasta in, add milk and parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat and stir until the mixture thickens up, like a smooth sauce.
Add the pasta to the sauce, as well as butter, salt and black pepper (to your liking). Warm until butter is melted. If the sauce becomes too thick, you can use the reserved pasta water to thin it out. Just add a little at a time.
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