My big sis (and best friend in the whole world!) is in town for a bit while her house is being renovated. Our dad was out for dinner so we decided to take over the house and have a girls night in! We drank wine that I had opened for work earlier that day, made this delish pasta dish, and watched 9 to 5… because who doesn’t need a little Dolly Parton-Jane Fonda action once in a while?! I’m usually not a fan of whole wheat pasta and to be honest heavy carbs are not my favorite, but this had a really great non-heavy fresh flavor and was incredibly easy to whip up.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (you can honestly get away with any kind of short tubular pasta for this recipe)
• One bunch of Asparagus (we used thin ones)
• 8 oz Container of Spinach (feel free to add more if you want to!)
• Olive Oil
• Oregano
• Red Chili Flakes
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Maldon Salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta al dente according to the package directions, and set aside. (PRO-TIP: Add a little bit of EVOO so it doesn’t stick)
2. Heat a large saute pan on medium/high with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
3. Add garlic to the olive oil let it toast slightly- about 30 seconds.
4. Cut the Asparagus into 4-inch pieces (excluding the stem) and add to the pan.
5. Add 2 teaspoons of oregano and 2 teaspoons of chili flake, salt, and pepper and let the flavors incorporate ( keep seasoning with these spices at every step so the dish has a lot of flavor!)
6. Next, add the spinach and allow to wilt for about two minutes, if it’s looking a little dry go ahead and add some more olive oil.
7. Add the pasta, into the saute pan and mix together.
8. My sister is not dairy-free so she added a little bit of shredded parmesan, but if you’re like me and looking for a fun finish go ahead and add a little Maldon on top for a salty kick!