Easy & Healthy Veggie-Filled Pasta Recipe

Pasta was once considered to be a dish for the wealthy and only available to Italian nobles. Fortunately, spaghetti, tortellini, ravioli and all sorts of other pastas have become household staples that we can pick up from our local grocery store on any given day, and cook up a luxurious meal fit for Italian aristocrats in less than 30 minutes.

Capelli d’angelo, or “angel hair” pasta, is one of my favorite types of pasta. A very light pasta with thin, long strands and great with seafood, veggies or light sauces.

Check out my recipe below for kale pesto angel hair pasta filled with veggies and healthy enough for you to stuff your face with carbs and cheesy goodness completely guilt-free!

Kale Pesto Angel Hair Pasta + Sparkling Watermelon Juice

Total Time: 40 minutes

Pasta: 30 minutes
Sparkling Watermelon Juice: 10 minutes

Number of servings: 4 plates & 6 glasses

Ingredients

Kale Pesto Pasta

• Angel Hair Raw Pasta – 1/2 box (makes 4 servings)
• Kale Pesto Sauce – 1/2 cup
  (we used Sonoma Gourmet – Kale Pesto with white cheddar pasta sauce)
• Spinach – 8 cups
• Arugula – 8 cups
• Sliced White Mushrooms – 2 cups
• Broccoli – 1 cup
• Alfalfa Sprouts – 1 cup
• Feta Cheese – 1/2 cup
• Seasoning: Garlic powder, Onion powder, Chili powder, Pepper

Sparkling Watermelon Juice

• Watermelon – about 1/4 of a 5lb. watermelon
• Sparkling water (we used La Croix – Peach Pear flavor)

Directions:

Kale Pesto Angel Hair Pasta

1. Boil salted water in pot on the stove.
2. Once the water is boiling, add in the raw angel hair pasta. Turn the heat down to medium/low and cover with lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your preference (10 minutes for firm, 12 minutes for al dente, and 15 minutes for soft)
3. While you are waiting for your pasta to cook, heat up a large pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Let it cook for 1 minute and then add in the broccoli.
4. Continue cooking both for another minute, then add your greens. Add in spinach and arugula.
5. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and pepper. Keep stirring as you let it cook for a few minutes.
6. Once the vegetables are doing cooking, turn off the stove and add the alfalfa sprouts.
7. The pasta should be fully cooked now. Remove the pasta from the stove and drain. Grab a large bowl and transfer your pasta.
8. Add in the kale pesto sauce and feta cheese and mix well.
9. Serve completed pasta with vegetables. Improve your presentation by creating a ring with the pasta around the plate and adding veggies to the center.

Sparkling Watermelon Juice

1. Take one watermelon and slice it into 4 equal parts. Grab one quarter and cut the fruit off the skin.
2. Dice the watermelon into small pieces. Throw the pieces into the blender and blend until completely liquefied. Transfer into serving bowl.
3. Pour 1/3 cup of watermelon juice into each glass. Add a bit of water (1-2 tbsp) and stir.
4. Pour in sparkling water until the glass is full (optional: leave a bit of room for a few ice cubes).
5. Add in ice cubes and garnish with rosemary if desired.