Who wouldn't love some solutions for fast, convenient meals that don't sacrifice good nutrition? When reading the Whole Foods Market blog the other day, I found some great ideas for building easy-to-assemble-meals - featuring pasta.

And who doesn't love pasta? After all, it's easy to prepare, versatile, inexpensive and super satisfying - making it a perfect choice for busy weeknights. These days there's such a wide assortment of pasta made from a variety of whole grains (spelt, whole wheat, kamut, rice, and even sprouted whole grains), that the healthy AND delicious dishes you can come up with are limited only to your imagination.

Pasta dishes can mean the convenience of fast food without compromising good nutrition. All that's needed are foods that you can keep on hand in your pantry or freezer and a few others that you can pick up from your local natural foods store. Here are a few things you might want to keep on hand for super-quick suppers:

•  Jarred pasta sauce
•  Boxed natural macaroni and cheese
•  Ready-to-eat pre-baked, marinated tofu
•  Assorted pasta shapes, couscous, and quick cooking polenta
•  Organic corn taco shells
•  Precooked frozen rice
•  Frozen fruits
•  Frozen vegetables
•  Canned beans
•  Canned tomatoes
•  Natural cold-cuts
•  Free-range eggs
•  Rotisserie chicken
•  Salmon filets

Here's a great 3-step "pasta-in-a-pinch" recipe approach:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Add grilled or roasted veggies then top with some protein such as beans, chopped cooked chicken or baked tofu.
3. Top with a favorite pasta sauce or a splash of quality extra virgin olive oil and your choice of seasonings. Among my favorites are: sea salt, black pepper, chives, parsley and a good grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Pasta can also be completely dairy free (no cheese), yet totally satisfying and delicious. Just load the marinara sauce with plenty of herbs and chopped vegetables, and no one will feel deprived of the cheese element. Pasta also does well when it's kept simple. Walnut pesto pasta, spaghetti with garlic and extra virgin olive oil, or pasta made into a frittata are some examples of the simple technique. And by adding a hefty green salad along side the pasta dish, you really have a healthy and complete meal.

Finally, a good pasta meal is made great by the addition of fresh and colorful green, orange, red and yellow vegetables (baby spinach or arugula, a variety of colorful bell peppers, some broccoli, grated carrots or beets). For instance, consider this recipe that features broccoli and penne pasta, taken from the Whole Foods Market website:

Penne and Broccoli with Zesty Gorgonzola Sauce

Fast and easy to make, this healthy dish will satisfy the pickiest pasta eaters in the family.

Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1 lemon (zest of)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish
cherry tomatoes halved, for garnish


Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. While pasta is cooking, steam broccoli until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain broccoli and rinse under cold water. In a large saute pan, bring chicken broth and cream to a simmer, then stir in Gorgonzola. Allow to thicken, then add drained pasta, steamed broccoli and lemon zest. Gently stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and cherry tomatoes.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.

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