Meatless Monday: Tomato and Herbed Feta Pasta

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

While my photo does not do justice to this dish, I found it to taste absolutely wonderful. A little basil could certainly have made it look less anemic. Regardless, I'm a big fan of artichokes and feta so pairing it with tomatoes and pasta required no mental effort at all. Served with a green salad and crusty bread would be a welcomed sight at any dinner table.

Don't go all Sideways on me because I don't know my wines or wine pairings. I only know what I like and that is determined by whatever bottle of wine is given to me as a gift or whatever I have available at the moment.

Tomato and Herbed Feta Pasta

Recipe submitted to Meatless Monday by Kim Cramer

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 oz. linguine

1 T olive oil
1 ½ tsp minced garlic
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
¼ c water
4 oz crumbled herbed feta cheese

Directions:
1) Cook linguine according to package directions or to al dente. Drain.

2) Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Drain artichokes and reserve ¼ c marinade. Optionally, cut artichoke hearts in half. Add artichokes to skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in water and reserved marinade. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes until hot and bubbly.
4) Stir in drained pasta and feta crumbles. Stir to combine and serve.

Notes for the Biggest Losers office contest:
391 calories/serving. That is only a two-ounce portion so a green salad is necessary for volume without adding a lot of extra calories.