Jo Cooks

Pretty Darn Delicious Recipes

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Blog
  • CHC
  • ABOUT JO
You are here: Home / Type / Healthy Eating / Tomato Basil and Spinach Penne

Tomato Basil and Spinach Penne

January 4, 2015 by Joanna Cismaru 7 Comments

Pin1.44K
Share19
Tweet
Email
Share
Yum69
1.53K Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Last updated on August 8th, 2017 at 11:29 am

Tomato Basil and Spinach Penne – a healthier and delicious tomato basil and spinach penne with gluten free pasta. A simple and beautiful recipe to make.

tomato-basil-and-spinach-penne-2

Since I’m sticking to my healthy eating resolution, but still love my pasta, I made for you guys a healthy tomato basil and spinach penne with gluten free penne. And it was the BOMB!

I tried gluten free pasta for the first time just a few months ago and I honestly cannot tell the difference between gluten free pasta and regular pasta, so my take on it, is if you can afford it because it does cost a bit more money than just regular pasta, then by all means buy it, it’s better for you. The gluten free pasta here is rice pasta, also bought some brown rice pasta which I’ll try next time, but I am quite happy with this gluten free pasta thing. Who’d have thunk it?

I’m of the belief that eating healthy doesn’t have to mean hard recipes and slaving in your kitchen for hours. Heck, we’d never cook then. This is why I love recipes like this. This sauce is simple to make and it will take you under 30 minutes to make this entire dish.

Can you believe I managed to make this penne dish in my cast iron skillet, which I love love love so much. Except I didn’t cook the penne in it, but I made the sauce in it then tossed in the pasta. Win!

So let me show you how simple this dish is. You start out by heating the olive oil then adding the chopped onions and garlic and just cook them for a few minutes until onion is translucent and soft. I love cooking onions and garlic together, smells heavenly. I also like to season with salt and pepper as I go along.

tomato-basil-and-spinach-collage1

Next we add in a can of diced tomatoes, with juice and all, then a whole lot of spinach. We need our greens, so add the spinach. I used baby spinach but I still roughly chopped a bit, very roughly. Cook this for a few minutes until spinach has wilted a bit.

tomato-basil-and-spinach-collage2

So now here’s another first for me, cooking with almond milk. I added a little bit of unsweetened almond milk to this yummy sauce and also some Greek yogurt, sour cream would work as well. I just wanted to make it a little creamy. Then we add lots of fresh basil, because after all it is one of the main ingredients, and my fave ingredient Parmesan cheese. Stir it all together and cook for a bit longer and OMG, you’ve got yourself one healthy but so freaking delicious sauce. Oh, don’t forget to add more salt and pepper as needed.

tomato-basil-and-spinach-collage3

Well if I had meals like this all the time, I sure could stick to my resolution forever. There is so much flavor in the sauce from the basil and tomatoes and Parmesan cheese, you’ll love this. Eat eat eat!

tomato-basil-and-spinach-penne-20

Tomato Basil and Spinach Penne

5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Jo Cooks

Ingredients

  • 16 oz gluten free penne I used rice pasta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 540 ml 19 fl oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 1 oz cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
love what you see?Follow @jocooks on Pinterest!

Instructions

  • Cook the penne according to package instructions, but leave it a little bit al dente, as it will soak up some of the sauce.
  • In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add chopped onion and garlic to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until onion is translucent and soft. Add the diced tomatoes, including the juice. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes. Add spinach and stir, let cook until spinach wilts. Add yogurt and almond milk and stir. Add Parmesan cheese and basil, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 or 4 more minutes.
  • Add the pasta to the skillet and toss well.
  • You can garnish with additional fresh basil before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 230g | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 66.5g | Protein: 9.2g | Fat: 5.1g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 300mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 4.4g
tried this recipe? rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

tomato-basil-and-spinach-collage4

Pin1.44K
Share19
Tweet
Email
Share
Yum69
1.53K Shares


7 Comments

« Fajita Potato Bites
Rosemary Balsamic Baby Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts »

DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO JOCOOKS NEWSLETTER FOR FREE AND RECEIVE ALL NEW RECIPE NOTIFICATIONS DELIVERED RIGHT INTO YOUR INBOX. PLUS YOU'LL GET A FREE EBOOK!!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work and helps in maintaining this blog, while at no extra cost to you.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Christy says

    May 2, 2016 at 2:05 am

    Sadly, I don’t have access to unsweetened almond milk (overseas)– can I just use skim milk?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      May 2, 2016 at 8:42 am

      Yes, absolutely, that should be just fine.

      Reply
  2. Raymond Wheeler says

    March 7, 2015 at 3:19 am

    I made this tonight. Followed the recipe to the letter. Tasted awesome. Definitely Will be cooking it again.

    Reply
  3. Mary-Ann says

    January 29, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    I made a simplified version of this from my very understocked kitchen that turned out amazing. I’ll definitely have to try out the proper recipe in the near future.

    Reply
    • Maya says

      February 17, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      My kitchen is also pretty understocked, but I still want to try this recipe! Can I ask what you used/what you didn’t used that still made the recipe turn out good?

      Reply
  4. Teresa says

    January 4, 2015 at 4:00 am

    This looks so delectable. This is going on my “to make” list. Love that it’s healthy and meatless.

    Reply
    • jo says

      January 4, 2015 at 5:08 am

      Thanks Teresa, I’m sure you’ll love it. 🙂

      Reply

Meet Jo

I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More…

My Cookbook

30-Minute One-Pot Meals cookbook
ORDER NOW: AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | INDIE BOUND | BOOKS-A-MILLION
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE AND GET A FREE EBOOK

Popular Now

Easy Chicken Enchilada CasseroleEasy Chicken Enchilada Casserole1.22M Total Shares
Crockpot Chicken Noodle SoupCrockpot Chicken Noodle Soup484.05K Total Shares
Crockpot Salsa ChickenCrockpot Salsa Chicken222.34K Total Shares
Garlic Parsley Butter ShrimpGarlic Parsley Butter Shrimp119.86K Total Shares
Tandoori ChickenTandoori Chicken82.09K Total Shares
Chicken in Garlic and Herb SauceChicken in Garlic and Herb Sauce64.18K Total Shares
Mini Salted Caramel CheesecakesMini Salted Caramel Cheesecakes63.70K Total Shares
Lemon BarsLemon Bars56.71K Total Shares

Featured on:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Blog
  • CHC
  • ABOUT JO

Featured on:

Copyright © 2019 · Privacy Policy | Work With Me