It’s time for a lil’ pasta party.

A healthy gluten-free pasta party, obviously.

Fall reminds me of my high school soccer days when we had pasta parties every week before our games at a different home.

So, I thought it’d be fun to re-live those days but with a little twist sans soccer and gluten.

Because we all need a lil’ pasta in our lives. Don’t ‘cha think?

I mean who doesn’t love a hearty pasta dish when the weather starts to get a bit cooler and the leaves start to turn. It’s that time of the year to pack up our gardens and pour the last of the fresh herbs into your Autumn dishes.

This simple Swiss chard pasta dish calls for the last of my summer oranges, fresh scallions n’ cilantro all bundled together with fresh Swiss chard and a new gluten-free pasta that I just discovered.

I recently stumbled upon Heartland Pasta and thought I’d give it a try – I whipped up a batch of their penne and served it to my clients who were beyond excited to taste test a new pasta dish.

I’m not one to brag about a new product but wow-this pasta is pretty darn good.

After having some trouble last week making rice pasta – I was beyond excited to see how easy it was to whip this penne up and toss it together with a few simple n’ fresh ingredients.

It was a lot easier than I thought and was so tasty.

So, you know what that means for my pantry…

Good-bye old rice pasta and hello Heartland.

Yeppers.

I’m excited to make my noodle soup with the leftover penne this weekend, too. It seems like it’d be perfect to toss into marinara sauce for a quick weeknight dinner or to mix into a soup.

This was my first time adding olives to a pasta dish-  I wasn’t too sure how it would taste but I was pleasantly surprised… the sweet lemon zest complimented the savory olives and all I saw were big ol’ smiles from my clients mouths after lickin’ their bowls clean.

Simple. Fresh. Delicious.

Three words that I try to put into all of my meals.

And this one surely wins.

By a long shot.

I think it’s about time to spruce up your ol’ pasta recipes, isn’t it?

Ya, I thought so.

Try this one tonight.  And don’t forget the olives.

Dig in, folks!

Swiss Chard Lemon Pasta

Serves: 4

 

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Prep

10 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

Total

30 minutes

 

Gluten-Free and Vegan

Author: Amie

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 1 cup Heartland Gluten-Free Penne Pasta
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 head Swiss chard cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook penne according to package directions. Remove from heat; drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook Swiss chard in olive oil over medium heat until wilted, approximately 4 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a large serving bowl. Add cooked penne, olives, cilantro, scallions, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, smoked paprika, sea salt and pepper; gently toss to combine.
3. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Swiss Chard Lemon Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 274 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 543mg24%

Potassium 300mg9%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 4930IU99%

Vitamin C 26.9mg33%

Calcium 51mg5%

Iron 1.6mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.