Penne a la Lindsay

Okay, so dinner has been eaten and the leftovers are packed up for lunches later this week. The kitchen is clean, and the verdict is in. Penne a la Lindsay is still good, even with my tweaks to the recipe. And not only that, it’s fast and easy too! It literally took no more than 20 minutes from start to finish. Eat your heart out Rachael Ray, I got you beat by ten whole minutes!

Here’s the recipe:

1 lb penne (I used Barilla whole wheat)

2 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

4-5 cup chopped raw spinach

1 .5 cup sliced white mushrooms*

Small can of sliced black olives

1 lb cleaned/raw shrimp*

• Cook penne according to package directions. Add shrimp during the last three minutes of cooking time.

• While penne is cooking, sauté mushrooms and garlic in 2 T olive oil for ~3 minutes.

• When penne and shrimp are finished cooking, drain and add the mushrooms and garlic (along with any residual olive oil) and the rest of the ingredients.

• Combine well, serve immediately.

The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach just the right amount, and make the feta just slightly melty to bring out its flavor and make it nice and creamy. This recipe is so simple, and so good. And it’s quick to boot! It’s the perfect week night meal that can be on the table in no time. I served it with some Italian bread, and thought about preparing a salad but we decided there were enough vegetables in the pasta and I was concerned that the salad dressing would compete too much with the balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing used for the pasta. The best thing about this recipe is that it also makes a great cold pasta salad. So make the whole recipe, and pack up the leftovers for lunch. If you want it hot, zap it in the microwave. If not, eat it cold straight from the fridge.

What’s with the * in the ingredient list, you ask? Well, those are the things I added to Lindsay’s original recipe. I love mushrooms, and think they are a great addition to most dishes. If you don’t like them, omit them, and add the raw garlic to the hot pasta with the rest of the ingredients (and reduce olive oil to 1 T). I added the shrimp because I wanted some more protein than just the pasta and cheese.

I can’t believe Lindsay cannot remember this recipe (see post “So Much Food… So Little Time” from 3/21/2010). But hopefully she’ll read this and it will all come back to her… if not, I’m taking full credit.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Or better yet, try adding your own variations and see how you can make this dish your own. Wait a minute… since technically I made this dish my own by adding the mushroom and shrimp, shouldn’t this version be called Penne a la Beth?