Hi friends! By now you probably know part of my family ancestry is Italian. One of my favorite Italian meals is aglio e olio. I pronounce it: ollie eh oh-leo. I have no idea if this is how you say it in Italian. My guess – nope!
The way my family makes it of course includes PASTA. Some of my favorite memories are when my Papa (my grandpa) would cook up a batch of aglio e olio. While the spaghetti is boiling, he’d saute garlic and anchovies in copious amounts of olive oil. Then, without straining the spaghetti in a colander, he’d start scooping the pasta into the pan with the garlic, anchovies and olive oil. If a little bit of pasta water got in there – no problem! Sometimes to ensure the pasta stayed moist, he’d scoop in a little extra water. He’d have us garnish with red pepper flakes and some parm. Oh man! I may or may not be drooling right now.
But with a gluten sensitivity (hello headaches, joint pain and painful digestion!), I’d rather not take the risk. Unless my Papa is making it, and then maybe I’ll have some + tylenol!
So how do I do it? Unknowingly, I started using greens, ANY type of greens, and using a similar method. After a while I started realizing that I was recreating this delectable dish.
As a nutritionist in training, I looooove the idea of using nutrient-dense vegetables. In this recipe, I’m using a bag of Trader Joe’s ‘Cruciferous Crunch.’ This mixture includes prechopped (my fav!!) kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, green cabbage and red cabbage.
If you don’t have a TJ’s near you, I’m sure your local grocery store has something somewhat similar prechopped and bagged. My husband always thinks that the ingredients always have to be exactly the same as what the recipe calls for – but that’s not the case! This recipe is versatile. I’ve made it with just plain kale that I’ve chopped myself, to collard greens and chard. I would not recommend spinach or any green that cooks down and gets slimy. You want it to cook down, but still retain structure somewhat.
This is the easiest tasty recipe you’ll make using greens, of all things! So what are you waiting for?
xo, Jess
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 10 cups of uncooked greens of choice (this is equal to one bag of TJ's Cruciferous Crunch)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Heat olive oil in large pan on medium. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Stir in red pepper flakes, then add all the greens plus water.
- Put the lid on the pan and let it cook down. Depending on what type of green you are using, this could take anywhere from 1-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. As soon as you start to see the volume of the greens get smaller, you can take the lid off.
- Once cooked down, take the lid off and continue sauteing until the water mostly dissipates. Add in the salt and pepper, then serve!
Garnishes include: basil and Parmesan (if you aren't doing a Whole30 and can tolerate dairy)
