No Recipe Needed: A No-fail Dinner

I made this pasta, salmon, and spinach combo last week and WOW had I forgotten how much I love it!  Make this TONIGHT: you probably have many of the ingredients at home already!

This is so delicious!  I'm not going to give you any quantities because this is REALLY the easiest throw-together dinner but with magical, wonderful flavors and a perfect balance of carbs, protein, and vegetables.  There are tons of ways to change it up, too, so get creative with this layering idea and use it often!

Salmon with Spinach and Pasta

I'm not kidding on the options, here!  Mix up the ingredients and you'll never ever get bored - promise!  Have these things for this meal:

• Pasta - leftovers are easiest, but cook some fresh if you must!
• Butter
• Parmesan
• Black pepper
• Chicken broth (or water, who cares?)
• Green vegetable - spinach or kale are my favorites, but any greens would be great with this method!
• Anchovy paste or fish sauce
• Red pepper flake
• Garlic
• Fish - ½ pound-ish per person
• Blackening Seasoning - keep a jar on hand or make your own - it lasts forever!
• Nuts, for serving
• Lemon wedges, for serving

You'll need three pans - one for the pasta, one for the greens, and one for the fish.  You could make do with just two and heat the pasta in the microwave - why the heck not?

In any event, heat your pans to medium heat.  Use olive oil for the spinach and fish and butter for the pasta - 1 tablespoon of each fat in each pan for every two portions.

All three of these things cook in about 10 minutes including pan heating time, so get your ingredients ready beforehand and do everything all at once - you can't mess it up!

For the pasta, melt the butter slowly with the cooked pasta and a healthy sprinkling of black pepper.

When the butter has melted add ¼ cup of chicken stock.  Keep the pasta warm but not at a boil - the stock will evaporate as the noodles continue to cook through.

Right before serving, add a sprinkle of parmesan to the noodles and toss with tongs, adding more chicken stock if the noodles get too dry.  That's it!

For the greens, heat ½ teaspoon each anchovy paste and red pepper flake in the olive oil.  Anchovy paste does not taste like fish, please do not be afraid of it.  It's what makes Caesar salad taste...Caesary!  It's wonderfully salty and comes in a handy tube that will last in the fridge forever - it's a great thing to keep around to make your food taste really special!

When the anchovy paste dissolves into the oil, add the spinach - remember that greens cook WAY down, so use at least twice as much as you think you'll need - promise!

Let the spinach wilt down for one or two minutes, and mince the garlic.  Add it in when the spinach is half wilted, then turn off the heat and stir in the garlic - it'll cook since the pan is so hot, but we don't want it to burn!

This is really stupidly easy - I'm almost embarrassed.   It's SO easy, in fact, that you can definitely have an extra glass of boxed wine to congratulate yourself on such a fast, healthy meal!

For the fish, pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle both sides with blackening seasoning.  When the oil is hot in your third pan, cook the fish quickly on both sides - about 3 minutes per side for a ¾ inch piece.  I like to start the noodles and anchovy paste/red pepper for the spinach at the same time and add the fish to its pan when I add the spinach - I find everything gets done at the same time that way.

When you're ready to serve, layer the pasta, then spinach, then fish, and top with nuts (pine, in this case) and serve with lemon wedges.  This is DELICIOUS, healthy, and fast - perfect for a Wednesday or impromptu entertaining.  ENJOY!