Garlickly Pasta Goodness

Needed an opportunity to try out the new pasta bowl from my Mom and I'm always in favor of adding more whole grains to our diet. Tonight I made Ham, Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Walnut Pesto from the March issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It uses whole wheat pasta which is worth a try if it has been a while since you used it. It has come along way in taste and texture.

The recipe starts by cooking 1 pound of whole wheat pasta. Drain when cooked al dente and reserve one cup of the pasta water. Saute 8 oz of cubed ham steak in 2 tablespoons olive oil until golden then add 16 ounces of sliced white mushrooms and sweat them until soft. Add a 6 ounce package of baby spinach and cook until wilted.

The walnut pesto is made by grinding three whole garlic cloves in a food processor. Once chopped, add 4 ounces walnuts along with the lemon peel from one lemon. Pulse a couple of times and then add juice of 1/2 a lemon and a quarter cup olive oil. Combine pasta and pesto in large shallow bowl suitable for serving pasta. Using tongs, fold in the spinach, ham and mushroom mixture.
Makes 4 very large servings.