Tonight make a dinner that your entire family will love. This simple garlic shrimp and spinach pasta dish is easy to prepare and so delicious that you won’t have to convince anyone to eat their greens tonight. Remember, in order to pack in as many nutrients as possible, choose organic spinach for this dish!

The Research

A recent study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry compared nutrient quantity and quality among 27 different spinach varieties that were organically and conventionally grown. Specifically, researchers examined the levels of vitamin C, ascorbic acid (an alternative form of vitamin C), antioxidant flavonoids, nitrates, and oxalate (a naturally occurring acid that can contribute to kidney stone formation) present in the spinach leaves. They found that levels of ascorbic acid and flavonoids were significantly higher in the organically grown spinach, and that conventionally grown spinach had considerably higher levels of nitrate present. These results suggest that you can increase your level of ascorbic acid and antioxidant flavonoids while simultaneously decreasing your nitrate intake by choosing organic spinach over conventional spinach.

The Recipe

Photo credit: Jeffreyw

Ingredients

• ½ lb. organic angel hair pasta
• 2 Tbsp. organic olive oil
• 4 cloves organic garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh organic basil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh organic oregano
• 5 oz. organic diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 12 oz. organic baby spinach
• 1 lb. peeled and thawed raw shrimp
• ¼ cup organic heavy cream
• ¼ cup organic butter, softened
• 1 cup shredded organic mozzarella cheese
• ¾ cup grated organic Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 medium-size onion diced
• ¼ tsp. organic cayenne pepper
• crushed organic red pepper
• salt
• organic black pepper

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions, drain, rinse under cool water and set aside. Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, basil, oregano, and onions and fry for about 8 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent. If garlic or onions begin to brown, lower heat. Add the tomatoes along with their juice to the skillet mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes longer. Add spinach, shrimp, butter, cream, cayenne pepper, Parmesan, mozzarella, and wine. Simmer for 8 more minutes until the spinach is wilted and the shrimp has turned pink. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Season with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Banner Photo Credit: Andres Rodriguez; unsplash.com