High School Pasta Parties

Luckily I like to eat about as much as I like to run, so things stay pretty balanced. As the air turns crisp and the suns begins to set earlier each day, I reminisce about the days that I "worked" from 8-3 and then met up with the cross country team for some hill repeats. We may not have been top in the league but we had fun and traditionally had our end of season pasta party at my house. Lucky for me (and the team) my mom has the Italian in her and makes an incredible spaghetti sauce. No, not sharing that one ... it's a secret and to get your hands on it you'd have to marry into the family. The other secret is that there IS no recipe.

As one who lives alone and relies on a few "secret" shortcuts, I'll give you my very easy, ultra tasty, post run (or slog) meal.



Chicken-Spinach Ziti

1 lb lean ground chicken

1/2 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

16oz frozen spinach, thawed

16oz container part skim ricotta cheese

1c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb ziti (whole wheat if desired)

1 lrg bottle of tomato sauce (I like Muir Glen Organic Italian Herb)

Salt & Pepper to taste.

1. Add olive oil to a small saute pan. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Thaw spinach either by steaming in a covered pan or in the microwave. Be sure to squeeze out the excess water.

3. Combine the chicken, spinach, sauce and ricotta in a large bowl and set aside.

4. Boil 6 cups of salted water, then cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook since you'll be baking it as well.

5. Drain pasta and add to spinach mixture. Gently spoon mixture into a pyrex or aluminum baking pan and cover with shredded cheese.

6. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 30minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.

Enjoy before race day (or that "super important" meeting)