Slow Cooker Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera (Vegan)

Adapted from The Simple Little Vegan Slow Cooker by Michelle A. Rivera

This delicious dish is full of vegetables and whole wheat deliciousness. If you add cauliflower to the mix, you get an extra boost of iron (the vitamin C in the cauliflower improves absorption of the non-heme iron in the whole wheat pasta).

 

Ingredients:

1 package (10 oz or 284 grams) frozen spinach, thawed

1 cup fresh or frozen diced carrots

½ cup white wine

½ cup red bell pepper, cut into strips

½ cup green bell pepper, cut into strips

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup onions, diced

4 tablespoons vegan margarine

8 ounces (or 227 grams) small whole wheat pasta (for example, shells, bowties, penne, etc)

Method:

Drain the spinach and squeeze to remove excess water. Put the spinach, along with all other ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Stir well, and if desired, serve with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast as a topping.

Serve with roasted cauliflower – the vitamin C in the cauliflower helps your body to absorb the iron in the whole wheat pasta. Serve fudge brownie protein bars for dessert for an extra boost of protein.

To make roasted cauliflower:

Wash the cauliflower and cut or rip into small florets. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme to taste. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake/roast in oven at 350 F for 15 minutes. If using a convection oven, there’s no need to flip the cauliflower. If using non-convection, you may need to flip the cauliflower around the 7-minute mark.

This recipe is part of Meal Plan #1.