Monkey Cook: Spinach, Feta, and Olive Pasta

When I was pregnant with Jacob, I had major cravings for olive tapendade. Kind of strange since I've always hated olives, but that's pregnancy for you! This time around, in anticipation of future cravings, I purchased a few jars of olive tapenade last summer. Wouldn't you know it, I had no such cravings, and still have these jars of olive tapenade in my pantry, mocking me. So I've been trying to think of how to incorporate it into some meals, and here's what I came up with:

Spinach, Feta, and Olive Pasta

3 cups short cut pasta (I used penne rigate)
1 onion, halved and sliced into half moons
1-2 T olive oil
1 pinch salt
6 cups spinach (you could also use frozen spinach)
½ c. olive tapenade (I chose Trader Joe’s jarred tapenade, but you could use any tapenade. Once April comes around I'll be getting my tapenade from my local farmer's market)
3 oz feta, crumbled

1. Put a pot of water to boil for the pasta. When the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and reserve about 1-2 c of the starchy cooking water

2. While the pasta water is cooking, saute the onions on a dry skillet on medium heat until soft, 5-10 minutes. Add 1-2 T olive oil and a pinch of salt, continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes total.

3. Add the spinach in batches, stirring in some of the starchy cooking water to wilt.

4. Add in the olive tapenade and a little more starchy cooking water. You don't want it to be too watery, so add the water in 1/4 to 1/2 c increments.
5. Add in the pasta and cheese, stirring frequently. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later.

The nice part of this dish is that you get all your food groups in one bowl (6 cups of spinach!), but if you are more hungry, feel free to add a green salad or some bread w/olive oil to beef it up.

Wine Note: I served it with Zinfandel, but I think a sweeter white wine (like a Riesling) would work better to temper the saltiness of the tapenade and feta.

Cooking Time: about 30 min

Serves 2 (although one of those two is breastfeeding, so this may serve more)