Balsamic Pine Nut Pasta Toss with Meatballs

For years I had a kid who was not fond of sauces or spreads of any kind.  This made things a little challenging when invited to dinner parties, but actually made things pretty simple at home.  While my friends were coaxing their kids to eat vegetables by slathering them in cheese or were looking for ways to “hide” them in other dishes, all I had to do was produce a bowl of cooked fresh broccoli and some lemon juice, green beans with a little sea salt, or spinach with balsamic vinegar, and there was no coaxing required! (Note: balsamic vinegar is a staple in my kitchen and has never been turned down by my no-sauce kid.)  Pair my non-sauce eating diner with a very lactose intolerant husband, and my cooking was transformed into the mostly whole food, produce-rich, simple presentations that I'm known for today.  Fast-forward a few years and I now have a kid who eats sauces & spreads, but my cooking hasn’t changed that much.  This simple preparation of meatballs with pasta & pine nuts is a sauce-free dish that is easy to put together on short notice and everyone leaves the table satisfied.

Oven Baked Meatballs

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 T chopped Italian parsley
• 1 sm clove garlic, minced
• 2 T chopped red onion
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 T Worcestershire Sauce

Mix ingredients together using your hands.  Form into 1 inch balls and place on foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes in oven pre-heated to 350 degrees.

Balsamic Pine Nut Pasta Toss

• Cooked thin spaghetti
• Pine Nuts
• Freshly shredded asiago or parmesan cheese
• Fresh Italian parsley
• Balsamic vinegar
• Meatballs

While meatballs are in the oven, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp (or more) each of pine nuts and cheese on pasta.  Add parsley to taste.  When meatballs are cooked through, add to pasta dish and drizzle with balsamic. Enjoy!

Olive & Parsley Orzo.

I admit, this may seem like an odd little combination, but we all know that some of our great cooking moments come when we add unlikely ingredients in the same bowl.  And that's how olives and orzo came together.  My first taste-tester was none too sure about this combination, until the spoon hit her mouth - and then she wanted the rest of the bowl for herself!

• 1/2 box orzo
• chicken broth
• 3/4 cup assorted olives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp green onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped

Cook orzo according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for half the cooking water. You could also use a bouillon cube or packet in the water.

Chop olives, onion, & parsley and toss together.  I used a mix of olives I had on hand from the olive bar in my favorite grocery store, green and black, buttery, rich, and intense flavors, all mixed together.

When orzo is cooked, toss the chopped ingredients with the pasta and enjoy!  It's as simple as that!