Cuopom: Jamie Oliver’s 5-Ingredient Super Green Spaghetti Tastes as Good as It Looks

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When we’re pressed for time on weeknights, we almost always turn to pasta. From Martha Stewart’s shockingly easy weeknight ragu, to Ina Garten’s famous lemon capellini, we’re always surprised at how much satisfaction and flavor we can get out of even a simple pasta recipe. But they’re not always loaded with nutrition the way we wish they were, especially after a long day when our bodies and brains could really use a boost. Jamie Oliver found a way to fix that. He came up with a 5-ingredient Super Green Pasta recipe that looks as good as it tastes, and it’s loaded with fiber and vitamins to boot.

The recipe comes from Oliver’s cookbook “5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food ” The recipes within are perfect for people who hate the thought of getting take-out every night, or settling for Easy Mac, but who also don’t have a ton of time to spend cooking and doing dishes.

The secret to making Oliver’s super green sauce is cooking lacinato kale (or cavolo nero, as Oliver calls it) and garlic in hot water before blending. This makes the kale more tender, so it can blend into a smooth sauce, and it also helps preserve its bright green color.

The kale is blended with garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pasta water. It’s sort of like a cooked greens pesto. If the sauce is too thick, you can add some pasta water until it reaches the right consistency. Oliver serves the pasta with a dollop of ricotta cheese, which adds extra proteins

If this is the type of simple, satisfying meal you love, then you should also check out Oliver’s upcoming book “One: Simple One-Pan Wonders ,” which is available for pre-order now.