Aggie's Kitchen

Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes

A quick and healthy Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes dish for a vegetarian option at dinner.

For the most part, my family has been eating whole grain pasta for as long as I can remember (which translates since having kids, lol). I got hooked on whole grains right after my son was born when I was trying to lose baby weight while following South Beach Diet. South Beach really got me in a healthier frame of mind when it came to eating well, always making sure to include whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins into my daily diet. Eating this way eventually just became my lifestyle.

Lucky for my family, since I do most of the cooking, it’s their lifestyle too. πŸ™‚

A quick and healthy Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes dish for a vegetarian option at dinner.

When making pasta I usually opt for whole wheat varieties, I really love the nutty earthy flavor of whole wheat pasta so that’s what we normally will have. Every now and then though, I like to try something new so I usually will pick up a different grain pasta whenever I visit the health food store or if something in the organic section of my grocery store catches my eye. Quinoa pasta is one of my favorites and to me is very close to eating regular pasta flavor-wise, but so much better for you! It cooks up a lot quicker than whole wheat pasta so it’s such a great option for fast weeknight meals. I’ve recently been buying this brand from Costco, not sure if they carry it at all Costcos but I like it a lot.

A quick and healthy Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes dish for a vegetarian option at dinner.

This quinoa spaghetti dish was inspired by a recipe found on the side of a bag of shredded collards I picked up at the store the other day. Kale or spinach would be a great substitute for the greens as well, but I really liked trying out the collards since I don’t cook with them often. It was so light and fresh (and healthy) that I couldn’t resist. My kids ate the spaghetti with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper with their tomatoes raw on the side, but my husband and I devoured (ok, so maybe I devoured) ours as shown.

I could seriously eat this Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes every night. (with extra Parmesan of course!)

A quick and healthy Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes dish for a vegetarian option at dinner.

Print Recipe

Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz package quinoa spaghetti (I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta, but you could always use regular or whole wheat)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 2 large handfuls shredded collard greens
  • 1 lemon
  • big pinch salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, for serving

Directions:

  1. Prepare pasta according to directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil gently in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes; remove and set aside. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to pot along with shredded collard greens, tossing greens to coat with oil. Saute greens for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until greens are wilted. Add cooked pasta, tomatoes, and garlic to pot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and juice from 1 lemon over pasta mixture and gently toss. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve with lots of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

A light and fresh summer pasta you can feel good about eating. Slightly adapted and inspired by Nature's Greens Shredded Collards bag.

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A quick and healthy Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes dish for a vegetarian option at dinner.

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67 comments on “Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes”

  1. i love pasta of pretty much all varieties, but i have to say you had me at garlicky – more garlic = more better πŸ™‚ (hurray for proper English!)

  2. Mmm this sounds delicious! Perfect for August! Also just wanted to say that I’ve really been enjoying your photography recently! πŸ™‚

  3. I’m sometimes amazed at the wonderful recipes found on the sides of packages. My Mom has a old-fashioned recipe box with some of those types of recipes cut out.

    They are always good, just like this one looks. I have always liked the combination of greens and pasta.

    • Greens and pasta just go together so well don’t they? I love that your mom has a box of those cut outs! I need to do that! I have found some really great recipes on the sides of packages. Have you seen this blog dedicated to just that?? http://cookingontheside.com/

  4. Garlicky greens sound so good with pasta! I’ve honestly never had collard greens, but I’m sure I’d like them because I like other leafy greens, including dandelions. πŸ™‚

    • This would be great with dandelions! I need to try that next time, I’ve been craving some in a weird way πŸ˜‰
      Collards have always been a green I pass over, I loved seeing them already shredded in the bag for the sake of convenience!

  5. I haven’t tried quinoa spaghetti, but it sounds awesome! Great recipe. So simple πŸ™‚

  6. Quinoa Spaguetti so delicious! Great recipe. Love the pictures!
    Thanks for share!

  7. I’ve never tried quinoa pasta and you’ve convinced me to give it a go!

  8. I’ve never made quinoa at home….embarrassed to say. I also have never seen it in spaghetti form…will have to to look for this! look yum as always Aggie ; D

    • don’t be embarrassed πŸ™‚ Grains could be intimidating if you’ve never cooked them before. Quinoa is one that took me a while to figure out how I really liked to eat it. The pasta is a no brainer though, you must try it! You will absolutely feel healthy afterwards πŸ™‚ Have a great Monday Sheila!

    • Oh, and if you’ve never seen it…hmmm, try looking in the healthy/organic section. It’s gluten free so maybe where gluten free items are kept.

  9. Love the bag of shredded collard greens. That would be the difference between living in the midwest and living in Florida! LOL, I’ll have to try this with spinach :o)

    • Lol, I think it would be great with spinach πŸ™‚ or kale! The bag of collards came from South Carolina, I feel like greens are always in season in the South! Hope you are doing well Merry!

  10. This looks absolutely amazing! You can’t go wrong with pasta and garlic. πŸ™‚ Love the use of shredded collards – I’ve never actually seen them sold that way but I will sure be looking for them. What a time saver!

    • It was a huge time savor and I ate more collards in a week than I would normally πŸ™‚ Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Have a great day!

  11. Aggie where did you find the shredded collards? I live in GA and we have a Publix as you do in Florida, but I have not seen them there. Did you buy them at Publix? Are there stems are just leaves? The dish looks great!! πŸ™‚

    • I just saw in a post that the greens came from South Carolina. Did you mail order them?

    • Hi Tracey! Yes, found them at Publix! I just started seeing them recently, they might be a new product (I shop at a smaller store so the bigger ones may have had them already). I found them in produce, right next to the bagged Glory greens, they were the only ones from this brand. And the stems were very thin, so maybe they tore off the bigger parts. I like this cut much better than the “chopped” for some reason…I made them in a slaw recently too for a change! Publix is so great about ordering, so if you can’t find them I would definitely ask!

      • Great thanks! My Publix is great about ordering what I want too. My store is one of the smaller ones as well, but the larger store is nearby. I used to buy the Glory brand greens and sit on my sofa with a big bowl and clip off the stems! lol!! Much easier than washing a big bunch od collards sometimes. πŸ™‚

  12. I could happily eat this every night, too. Not only is it healthy, but those greens look as though are packing all sorts of great garlicky flavor.

  13. I keep wanting to try quinoa pasta. This has inspired me! Love anything garlickly too! πŸ˜‰

  14. Wow, this looks delicious! I’ve never seen quinoa spaghetti at our grocery store, but maybe it’ll show up some day soon!

  15. This looks fantastic. I haven’t tried the quinoa pasta yet, I will grab some next time I go to the big city.

  16. I’ve never seen Quinoa pasta — and I LOVE Quinoa! I’m definitely gonna look for this at the store next time I go. And I never would’ve thought to use collard greens. Love that! As always GirlFriend, you inspire me to try new things that are healthy and yet delish! GREAT recipe I can’t wait to try for dinner soon!!!

  17. Omg, insane. Needs to appear on my tongue, stat.

  18. LOVE quinoa, but we’ve never tried quinoa pasta. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for it so we can try this!

  19. I have both tomatoes and greens ready to pick in my garden. This would be a great recipe to utilize both. My family eats what I cook as well so this would be also very family friendly.

  20. Aggie, quinoa spaghetti sounds amazing and I love the looks of al those veggies mixed in!

  21. I didn’t even know quinoa spaghetti existed…omg! YUM!

  22. I’ve tried that pasta! Definitely a little different but still very yummy. Great dish. Greens and tomatoes are meant to be with pasta (I think anyways).

  23. I have been wanting to try the quinoa spaghetti! These flavors are just right up my alley too. I love this Aggie!

  24. I’ve never had quinoa nor have I tried the spaghetti version… I need to get on the train! This meal sounds like something I’d love!

  25. This looks amazing! Anything with tons of garlic is right up my alley!

  26. I LOVE that brand of pasta too! I have been recommending it to everyone who says they or someone in their family don’t like wheat pasta but want to eat more nutritiously. It definitely tastes just like regular white pasta.

  27. I have yet to try quinoa spaghetti, that needs to change soon!

  28. Anything with garlic, its my fav. I love the flavour.

  29. I live far north in a small town – I have never seen Collard greens in any of the stores. Can it be substitued for anything else? P.S. Garlicky is one of my words too! LOL

    • Oh yes, substitute with any green you come across – kale, even spinach! Just watch the cooking time of the greens based on how tender your greens are, spinach will cook up a lot quicker! Haha, yes love Garlicky πŸ˜‰

  30. Thanks!

  31. I’ve never seen quinoa pasta before, I’ll have to go search for it. I did the South Beach diet too and had great success while I was on it. But since then I gave it up (I was in college at the time…) and I’ve been fighting my way back to that goal weight ever sicne. I think its time to give it another go. And this – looks delightful Aggie!

  32. Wow, this looks amazing, can’t wait to look for that pasta.

  33. I love that you’re a quinoa fan too! The texture and taste is as close to classic pasta as you can find. Lovely recipe!

  34. I am a quinoa fan but never seen a quinoa spaghetti in Canada. Now I would like to get some. Nice recipe.

  35. This is great-I have never tried quinoa pasta, but now I will!

  36. This sounds really good. I’ve never tried (or heard of!) quinoa spaghetti, but now I’ll have to look for it!

  37. Looks so beautiful, Aggie! I love comfort food…and there’s no saying that comfort food can’t be healthy! xo

  38. Aggie, I’ve never heard of the quinoa spaghetti … shame on me!

    I showed Garrett, he’s excited to try it.

    Another fabulous AGGIE recipe! πŸ™‚

  39. I adore simple veggie-full meals like this! Always so delicious. Thanks for the rec on the quinoa pasta! I’ve been meaning to try it, so that’s the brand I’ll be sure to go with when I do!

  40. I think I could just live on your site. These recipes all just so look delicious…and healthy!

  41. Happy Tasty Tuesday! We love this recipe and it is featured on our Recipes for the Food Holidays of October! Thanks!
    http://4virtu.com/2012/10/tasty-tuesday-recipes-for-the-food-holidays-of-october/

  42. Son of a gun. I had no idea there was such a thing as quinoa spaghetti. This dish sounds seriously good and just the kind of easygoing dish I prefer. Definite plan to try this as written, but am already thinking of subbing feta crumbles for the Parm on second go round. Thanks for sharing.

  43. Happy Holidays! Check my fb page. Getting some new healthy eaters on board. Used this recipe since its so easily adaptable and yummy. You’ll get a kick out of some of the comments! Still LOVE your blog.

    • I have been thinking of you! Happy holidays to you too! I will check out your fb page – yay for healthy eaters πŸ™‚ I love how far we have both come in that dept πŸ™‚

      Happy New Year friend!!

  44. I’ve been curious about quinoa pasta for a long time and you have inspired me now to go get it! Plus this should just satisfy my current garlic craving…thanks for sharing the recipe! πŸ˜‰

  45. Oh my goodness! This is really good!! I’ve made it twice, the 2nd time with sun-dried tomatoes I re-hydrated a bit because I did not have any fresh tomatoes. It was really good this way too. In fact, I may have liked it a little better with the sun-dried tomatoes. Thanks for the great recipe. Simple too! Win win. πŸ™‚

    P.S. First time trying the quinoa spaghetti. It is the only gluten free or whole grain pasta I have really enjoyed. IMHO, it is a dead ringer for the real thing.

  46. Aggie, we LOVE this spaghetti. Thanks for the reminder … I may make a dish for dinner tonight!