Light Pepperoni and Veggie Pasta

My boys really like mostaccioli, but I'm not a huge fan of it. The past few times I've made it for dinner, I reserve some noodles for myself before soaking the rest in pasta sauce. I saute some spinach in olive oil and add some seasonings and tomatoes. It just feels lighter this way and I like it much better. That's what I did with the most recent batch. Here's the specifics.


1 1/2 cup spinach
Olive oil
1/4 cup fresh mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon garlic (I keep a jar of minced garlic in my fridge)
1 cup of petite diced tomatoes (I used canned)
Fresh basil and thyme
2/3 cup of cooked pasta
3 slices of sandwich pepperoni, diced (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan
Fresh parsley

Heat pan and add oil. Saute spinach, mushroom, garlic together in pan. After this step, I remembered that I had fresh herbs in the garden and chopped up some fresh basil and thyme and added it to the pan with a 1/2 can of petite diced tomatoes.

Toss in cooked pasta and add pepperoni. I don't usually add any meat to this, but my son was disappointed that I hadn't made meatballs with his mostaccioli, so I appeased him with some chopped up pepperoni. I had a little extra, so I added it to my dish. Once it is warmed throughout, transfer it to a plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan. I happened to have a wedge of 15-month aged (I guess that's not exactly fresh, is it? But you know what I mean, right?) Argentinian Aged Parmesan in my fridge that I'd picked up on a recent day trip in Michigan. Then I garnished it with fresh parsley from the garden.