Baked Pasta in Spinach Pesto

Lately my house has been very quiet.

While the peaceful trickle of rain and pitter-patter of kitty paws are sounds I love, my house is minus a very important human being this week, and its a strange transition for me.

Growing up my house was a lively place, always a sibling or parent home bustling about somewhere– faucets ran, stairs creaked, televisions hummed. We were quite a lively bunch, and try as we might, none of us were really ever able to speak with inside voices (Sorry Mom!). Every inch of the place was filled with the presence of other people, and I’ve really grown to appreciate how that feels. There is something unspeakably soothing about coming home and seeing the sweater or book of someone I love displaced around the room, as if I could be with them just by being among their things. At all times there were signs of vibrant life, and reminders that there were other beating hearts around to fend off loneliness. Big, loud, happy houses are great places to grow up.

Though I’m working hard to appreciate the silence lately, I am reminded of just how important it is to be among other people.

Friends and family sharpen one another, no matter how difficult it can be to put up with each other’s nuances. We are not creatures meant to be alone. And even though it may seem like a dream to have your own place, without all those crazies who make piles of laundry for you to wash or keep their televisions blaring till 2 am, the reality is less serene. You see, the idea is very reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood moves… Home Alone!

This house is so full of people it makes me sick. When I grow up and get married, I’m living alone. Did you hear me? I’m living alone! (Remember this? Don’t be like Kevin.)

Home Alone! This timeless and epic movie perfectly illustrates how we feel when sassy-ness creeps in and steals all our civility. Kevin finds out, after suffering the horrid torture that is a ‘I-can-hear-a-pin-drop-‘ silent home (and an untalented duo of robbers I suppose) that life is a lot less worth living when you don’t have those wonderful people around after all. The sweet cannot exist without the occasional bitter.

Cooking is just like all these things mentioned above, especially the part about needing community. Having mouths that constantly need fed can be cumbersome, I know– but just think about how cold and lonely your kitchen would be if those mouths weren’t around. And when they do come around, needy and famished, you have the great honor of doing something really nice for them, because you love them– and that’s baking them some spinach-y pasta.

This baked pasta dish was SO easy, and the sauce was a nothing but pure healthy. Whole wheat pasta gives you some hearty grains, and sliced carrots add even more veggie power. Jake would really love this dish; I will be looking forward to all the things that come with having him back from his travels– his hungry little stomach included.

Baked Pasta in Spinach Pesto

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups raw spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 Tbs parmesan cheese (plus some extra for sprinkling on top)
• 2 Tbs bread crumbs (omit for a healthier recipe. I indulged, what can I say.)

Directions: Boil pasta according to boxed directions (salt that water!). Boil carrots with the pasta to maximize pan usage. In a food processor or blender puree spinach, nuts, oil, herbs, and cheese.

Toss sauce with pasta and carrots, and pour into an oiled baking dish (or cast iron!). Top with a little bit of extra cheese, and breadcrumbs tossed in a dab of oil. (You can make/buy whole wheat bread crumbs– I wish I would have, but I just used the panko ones I had around the house.) Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.