Really Easy Way to Get Some Greens: Pasta with Asparagus, Spinach, and Ham

I am always on the prowl for easy recipes that will help us get a few extra veggies into our diets.  Recently, I found a recipe for Penne with Asparagus, Spinach, and Bacon from CookingLight.  I tweaked the recipe a little to fit items that we already had.  (I hate buying extra ingredients if we already have some that will easily substitute.)  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients

5 ounces uncooked whole grain pasta (this is an estimation-also, I used whatever pasta we already had    open in the house)

3 slices ham (lunchmeat) 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup chopped sweet onion 

1 cup (1-inch slices) asparagus  

3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves 

1/2 cup preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided  

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

Preparation 

 

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt. Drain; cover to keep warm. While cooking pasta, heat oil in a skillet.  Fry ham until a little crisp.  Remove the ham and place it on a dish lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.  I usually try to absorb more of the grease with another paper towel once the ham has cooled.  Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute.  Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.  Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper to pan; toss well.  Let simmer for a couple of minutes to melt cheese and cook spinach.  Break ham into small pieces.  Remove dish from heat.  Serve pasta dish and toss a little cheese and ham on top.

The dish was delicious and real easy to make--perfect for a week day when you do not have much time.  The beauty--you get a nice helping of veggies incorporated right into the dish.