Linguine With Spinach

This tasty dish - adapted from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner, by Mark Bittman (Broadway Books, 2001) - uses a good amount of spinach, which is great for boosting pregnancy-needed vitamins and minerals such as iron and folate. Spinach also contains more protein than most vegetables.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb  regular spaghetti or 1  lb  multigrain spaghetti
• 1 -2  garlic clove, finely minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  lb fresh spinach, washed, with tough stems removed, and roughly chopped (or 1 8-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted)
• 1⁄2 cup sun-dried tomato packed in oil, drained and chopped (or 1 pint sweet ripe cherry tomatoes, sliced)
• 1⁄4 cup pine nuts (optional)
•  salt, to taste
•  pepper, to taste
•  parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. Meanwhile, combine the garlic and red pepper flakes with the oil in a large bowl. When the pasta is nearly done, plunge the spinach into the water and cook until it wilts - less than a minutes. Drain pasta and spinach together quickly, then toss into the olive oil mixture. Add the tomatoes and pine nuts. Toss well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with an ample topping of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Makes 4 to 6 servings.