Celebrate Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month with this delicious recipe. After you cook the spaghetti, the rest of the dish comes together in just 5 minutes! It's simple, quick, and received rave reviews from our testers.

Pasta Fresca

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce box of spaghetti
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 small, mild green chili pepper (anaheim, cuban, poblano, etc.)
• 4 cups fresh diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• Black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the spaghetti in a saucepan according to package directions, then drain in colander.
2. Add the olive oil to the now-empty saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and pepper briefly, about 1 minute. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Chop the basil and add it last.
3. Add the cooked spaghetti to the pot and toss well. Cook until heated through, then add  black pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Cook’s Notes

• We did add a half cup of arugula along with the spinach, which gave the dish an extra kick.
• If you'd like, you can also top the pasta with a small portion of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Make sure the tomatoes you use are very ripe.

Serves 8. Each 1-cup serving: 257 calories, 3 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 29 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 9 g protein.Diabetic exchange: 3 starch, 1/2 fat, 1 vegetable.Brought to you by: The Nutrition Education Store. Check out our selection of games, recipes, posters, handouts, presentations, and books!