Last night I wanted something quick and easy that is also healthy and flavorful. In an effort to save money and effort I decided to pull together a dinner composed mostly of items found in my pantry.

While I cooked a package of Trader Joe’s whole-wheat parpardelle pasta, I sautéed two cloves of garlic in some olive oil. Once that was golden brown I added a bag of spinach and some white wine and seasoned it with salt and pepper and let it wilt. In another pan I browned a handful of pine nuts. Once everything was cooked I tossed the pasta with the spinach and pine nuts. I also found some flavorful capers and artichokes in the refrigerator and added them to the pasta. To finish the pasta off I added a couple spoonfuls of Whole Foods bruschetta topping and stirred.

This is the type of pasta that I love to make and I often like to add or omit ingredients according to what I have in my kitchen.