Tasty Tomato, Olive, Salami Spaghetti

What I love about this recipe is that it’s crazy easy and you can make a big batch for enjoying all week long. Easy (and almost entirely wholefood) dinner, done. This is a brilliant one for getting your teens to cook because they’ll love the outcome and it’s hard to mess up. I talked my 17-year-old through it last week and he decided to cook it for his friends next time. High praise!

The Pasta

Most times these days pasta from major supermarkets can be purchased organic (which means the soil used to make the essential elements of the product has been taken good care of). Not only that, organic products can be cheaper than non-organic, surprisingly. There isn’t a huge amount of nutritional value in conventional white pasta however wholegrain or pulse pastas carry plenty of good fibre and healthy carbs with them into your system.

The Olive Oil

The Virgin Olive Oil brings healthy fats, bio-active antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties into the body which in turn provide multi-faceted benefits from anti-ageing effects to helping prevent heart disease, strokes and weight gain, Type 2 Diabetes and even the Big C (to name just a few).

Some of these ingredients I just always have in my pantry – like fresh garlic for example. I keep it in an open tin on the bottom shelf with onions and sweet potatoes. It stays fresh longer that way than in the fridge. The rosemary is a staple that I always have growing in my kitchen garden (even if that’s just a pot at the balcony door). It is very easy to grow.

The Salami

If you poke around a little in your deli fridge, you’ll possibly come across nitrite-free deli meats. These are the preference because of the link between the preservative sodium nitrite and the way it interact with our body to encourage the creation of cancer cells. A great alternative to salami for vegans or vegetarians would be artichoke hearts.

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Tasty Tomato, Olive, Salami Spaghetti

Ingredients

2 sticks of celery, sliced roughly
1 cup of pasta sauce (easily made yourself with tinned tomatoes or bought readymade)
A handful of pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
2 kale leaves and stems chopped finely
2 large sprigs of parsley (stems finely chopped), leaves aside for garnish
6 slices of quality salami (we use mild Hungarian, but choose your favourite)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 pack spaghetti (or the pasta of your choosing)
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat a heavy-based frypan or work then add the olive oil till warmed
2. Boil water and cook pasta as per instructions – while it is cooking prepare your sauce.
3. Throw in the celery and move around the pan occasionally until it has softened
4. Add the pasta sauce, olives, kale and parsley stems and water so it doesn’t go gluggy
5. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally
6. Add salami just before serving
7. Once the pasta is cooked remove it from the water and place into the sauce, mixing around to coat it.
8. Garnish with remaining parsley leaves.

Enjoy!