So remember last week when I went over the tutorial on how to properly cook an egg? Now I’m introducing a recipe that will incoporate what you’ve learned. The best part about this recipe is that it’s simple (15 minutes to be exact), hearty, delicious and healthy — packed with whole wheat pasta, nuts, olive oil, crushed red pepper and of course the perfect soft-cooked egg.


Now for people who don’t spend much time in the kitchen, cooking can be a daunting task. The prep work, the dishes, the mess made in between — but with practice and patience these things become easier and before you know it you’ll be moving around the kitchen like a pro. Today I’m going to talk you through the steps of this recipe so you’ll only be spending 15 minutes from start to finish and the cleanup is minimal (one pot, a large bowl and one baking sheet). See? It’s all about baby steps, work with me now :)

Today I’ll be featuring a Whole Wheat Linguine tossed with a Toasted Chile-Pecan Pesto topped with Soft-cooked Egg Spinach and Goat Cheese. I will provide the recipe below but I’d like to talk you through the thought process for the recipe so you’ll only be spending 15 minutes in the kitchen opposed to an hour.


Ingredients for a Healthy Pasta Recipe:

(serving size 2 – prep time 5 minutes – total cooking time 15 minutes)

- 8 oz dried whole wheat pasta

- 4 oz pecans, toasted

- 4 dried red chilies, stems removed

- 1 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 1 cup of spinach, washed

- 2 eggs, soft cooked

- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

- fresh basil for garnish if desired

Preheat your oven at 350 and boil your water first. Once your water is boiling, cook your pasta until al dente (firm, but not hard) — about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a mesh hand strainer, remove the pasta and set aside in large bowl but KEEP your water. Place the pot back on the heat and bring it to a boil again then proceed to follow the directions on how to make a soft-cooked egg.

While you are waiting for your soft-cooked egg go ahead and toast your pecans and chile peppers for 5 minutes at 350 F. Due to the high oil content in pecans, it doesnt take long for them to toast so keep a watchful eye to prevent them from burning. Once the nuts and peppers are toasted and fragrant mash them together with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper in a mortar and pestle. If you do not own a mortar and pestle you can use a food processor, if you do not own a food processor chop the mixture roughly with a knife.

Once the egg is about 1 minute from being done, place your pasta and and your cup of raw spinach in a large strainer and dip it into the hot water — this will blanch (quick cook) your spinach and heat up your pasta again. Drain the water and place the pasta and spinach in a large bowl and mix it with your pesto mixture along with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. If the pasta seems a little dry, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta/egg water into the mixture. Remove the egg from the water and carefully cut it in half. Top with goat cheese crumbles and serve imediately. Feel free to garnish with fresh basil if desired.

*** Some tips to keep in mind

- I minimized pot usage by keeping it to one pot. I used the hot water to cook my pasta as well as my eggs and spinach. This idea can be used for several recipes, less dishes to wash are always a win.

- By wrapping baking sheets in foil it keeps you from scrubbing gunk off the pans, especially when you’re just toasting nuts — you can simply toss the foil and you should be left with a clean pan.

- Make sure the large bowl you pick to hold and mix the pasta can double as the serving bowl/platter as well — another dish saved! Yes :)

So as you can see this recipe was simple to do, minimum kitchen mess and hopefully you find it delicious and satisfying. It’s the perfect pasta dish for health conscious eaters, novice cooks and anyone looking for a quick dinner option.

53 Comments

  1. The Kettle Corn Guy says: 11 Jan ’11 • 09:50:37

    I just finished this recipe, and it turned out great. I appreciate you posting it. Thanks.

    John McConnell

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 17:58:27

      Woo Hoo!!! Awesome John :)

  2. A Healthy Pasta Recipe | ClubEvoo says: 11 Jan ’11 • 12:32:56

    [...] Link: A Healthy Pasta Recipe [...]

    Reply

  3. Tiffany says: 11 Jan ’11 • 14:51:59

    The pasta looks GREAT and I love that this only takes 15 minutes!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:00:06

      :) Hope you enjoy the recipe Tiffany!

  4. Brian says: 11 Jan ’11 • 14:57:28

    I think whole wheat pasta is so underrated. One thing I love to do with it is do a light salad on top with grapefruit. The egg on top is a wonderful idea too!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:01:14

      I totally agree!!! Whole wheat pasta is the bomb. I will have to try your idea with grapefruit :)

  5. Sara says: 11 Jan ’11 • 15:12:30

    aah I love pasta and wholewheat I’m finally loving it now! I also make lo mein with it too! Lovely recipe and pics..as usual! :)

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:05:58

      Girl you know I love that lo mein :) Thank you lovely Sara!!

  6. Nadia says: 11 Jan ’11 • 17:10:15

    I love adding nuts to pasta! This a great combination that I will definitely try it and I’m glad it’s such a quick recipe! :)

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:11:44

      Hee hee thanks Nadia I am a big fan of doing nut pestos too — so simple easy and healthy :)

  7. Amy Bakes Everything says: 11 Jan ’11 • 18:11:10

    Love this, totally dig soft boiled eggs! First time at your site, your blog is gorgeous!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:14:04

      Thanks so much Amy :) !! Pleasure to meet you!

  8. Isabelle says: 11 Jan ’11 • 19:47:27

    Whole wheat pasta is such an underappreciated ingredient. I think the problem is most people try to use it as a substitute for regular pasta, rather than treating it as an entirely different ingredient that needs to be appreciated in its own right – I prefer to treat it as regular pasta’s more flavourful, nuttier, chewier cousin. :)
    I’m madly in love with the simplicity of this dish., and especially with your one-pot trick (I do that trick too, whenever I can!).

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:20:11

      Isabelle I completely agree– I absolutely love the texture of whole wheat pasta, I like how you called it the Chewier cousin :) Cutting corners to save time is always a win in my book!

  9. Kimberley says: 11 Jan ’11 • 21:25:16

    It’s the time of year for simple pastas. Love the idea of a pecan pesto!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:20:33

      Thank you Kimberley!!

  10. jean says: 11 Jan ’11 • 22:50:40

    Looks wonderful, Joy. The simple, perfectly cooked egg (and its quick preparation) make this so appealing to me. Not only healthy but very good, too, with the goat cheese and pecans. Yummy!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:21:20

      Thank you Jean!! It was indeed quite yummy I’d add more crushed red pepper next time but I really enjoy spicy foods :)

  11. sweet road says: 12 Jan ’11 • 02:45:40

    I love your blog! It’s so simple and the photographs are beautiful, not to mention the food! I’ll definitely be coming back for more.

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:23:02

      thank you sweet road you’ve got me smiling with your lovely comment :)

  12. heather says: 12 Jan ’11 • 03:59:41

    Not that I needed to be sold on this dish (the ingredients alone had me), but the second to last photo… ohhh! As a dietitian, I can’t help but love the whole wheat pasta and healthy combination of grains and protein. And I really can’t resist anything with a fried, poached or soft-cooked egg on top — soup, salad, toasted bread, pasta, you name it!

    Cheers,

    *Heather*

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:26:23

      Heather I agree with you I seriously put eggs on everything!!! It’s a simple way to get my protein in and it keeps me full so win win :) Thanks for the kind words!

  13. Mina @ Angellove’s Cooking says: 12 Jan ’11 • 07:10:50

    Lovely recipe – and looks so tasty!! Oh, great photos :)

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:26:32

      Thank you Mina!!

  14. linguina says: 12 Jan ’11 • 11:36:58

    This pasta looks amazing and i love recipes with nuts inside!
    Congratulations and thanks for the idea!
    Linguina

    Reply

  15. linguina says: 12 Jan ’11 • 11:40:13

    This pasta looks amazing and i love recipes with nuts!
    Congrats and thanks for the idea!

    Linguina

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:25:35

      You are welcome linguina!! And what a beautiful name :)

  16. La Roquette says: 12 Jan ’11 • 13:25:22

    WOOOWW, Absolutely gorgeous photorgraphy, you’ve definitely become one of my faves :) will be back to see more

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:25:18

      Oh shucks thanks La Roquette you’ve made me giddy as can be ^_^!!!

  17. tami says: 12 Jan ’11 • 14:04:39

    wow. a beautiful photo and the recipe sounds wonderful. bookmarking to make as soon as we’re not snowed in anymore :)

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:24:56

      Oh no! Hope you are staying warm :) thanks for the kind words!

  18. Winnie says: 12 Jan ’11 • 15:24:04

    This is so gorgeous. The second to last photo is my favorite. Soft cooked eggs, pecans, goat cheese…sounds so amazing and I’d love some right now!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:24:17

      Thank you Winnie :) ! Move to Dallas and I’ll whip you up a plate ^_^

  19. branny says: 12 Jan ’11 • 22:08:21

    This looks like a fantastic meal!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:23:31

      thanks lovely!

  20. SpachetheSpatula says: 12 Jan ’11 • 23:44:35

    This looks almost identical to the recipe in the newest Cooking Light; was that your inspiration?

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:04:59

      Omg YES!! I saw the recipe while waiting in line at the grocery store and thought — dude that looks amazing!! Must.make.now. Good eye :)

  21. ping says: 13 Jan ’11 • 01:21:29

    Delicious! And congrats on getting top 9! Great pics too!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:05:26

      Thanks Ping :) !

  22. Trish says: 13 Jan ’11 • 01:22:47

    Looks simple and delicious. Great flavors. And your photos are absolutely incredible. Congrats on Top 9!! Well deserved!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:04:06

      *giggles* Thank you Trish now you’ve got me blushing like the silly ham that I am!

  23. Kasey says: 13 Jan ’11 • 01:25:40

    Eggs are on of my favorite things to put on pasta – they add incredible complexity, richness and texture to the simplest of pastas. Gorgeous photos!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:03:38

      Thank you Kasey!! after doing my egg series I’m convinced Eggs can go on practically everything hee hee :)

  24. Yue Edwards says: 14 Jan ’11 • 05:26:06

    looks very yummy, love the soft yolk eggs

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:02:45

      Yes I absolutely love soft yolk eggs too — they go with everything!

  25. kristy says: 14 Jan ’11 • 05:30:13

    Congrats on your top 9! I’m loving this for my brunch & dinner too. Hope you’re having a terrific weekend.
    Cheers, Kristy

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:02:22

      Thank you Kristy :) !!!

  26. penny aka jeroxie says: 15 Jan ’11 • 05:28:36

    I try to go wholemeal pasta as much as I can :)

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:02:03

      Me too Penny!!

  27. nomnom. « zee. says: 17 Jan ’11 • 03:57:08

    [...] Whole Wheat Linguine tossed with a Toasted Chile-Pecan Pesto topped with Soft-cooked Egg Spinach and Goat Cheese. Woo. [...]

    Reply

  28. Byn says: 18 Jan ’11 • 00:10:55

    Holy cow. This looks absolutely divine!! And I can HAVE it!:) I am so adding this to my menu plan for next month! Awesome post!

    Reply

    • Joy says: 25 Jan ’11 • 18:01:46

      Awesome Byn :) !! Thanks so much

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