Linguine with Fennel and Kale + a Dreamfields giveaway

linguine-with-fennel-kale-dreamfields-giveaway 2 | tiny farmhouse

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Janet Faye who won the selection of seven Dreamfields pasta cuts and a $25 gift card! Thank you to everyone who entered – it was fun to read all of your favorite pasta dishes!

Coming from a family whose nearly every meal felt the very strong influence of my Italian-American nana’s cuisine (made by her at her restaurant – the best restaurant in the world – at that time, in my opinion – totally unbiased, of course.), it should be expected that pasta figures rather prominently in our diet, even now that I’ve learned that there are other sauce options beyond marinara, and not all chicken needs to be pounded thin, breaded, and topped with cheese.

Not that chicken parm is a bad thing, and chicken parm alla Nana is still my favorite comfort food dish, but we try to be a little more health-conscious here these days, eating more whole grains (you know this, I know. I am beating that whole grains drum loudly of late, aren’t I?), eating better quality meat (though this may not be everyone’s favorite thing to discuss, we know just how our pigs are treated and just what they’re fed and feel good about eating pork that we’ve raised ourselves), and, of course, eating more vegetable-centric meals on a regular basis. Even though we raise our own pork, we also grow a lot of vegetables, and we love veggies. It’s all about balance, right?

Despite wanting to use more whole grains in our diet, the process of finding a good whole wheat pasta had been a little challenging. There were nights when JR would request, kind of loudly (and with a groan), to not have whole wheat pasta – it was gummy, the texture wasn’t quite right, it didn’t taste good – “not normal” was his most common comment.

Lucky for us, we found ourselves some Dreamfields and were able to preserve the pasta peace: I can’t live without pasta, we need to eat more whole grains, JR can’t eat not-normal pasta, and Dreamfields takes care of all of these needs (ahem, demands). It tastes really good – and JR’s favorite cut, linguine, is now all the rage here. Bonus for me (on top of having the loud requests for “regular” pasta eliminated), I’m stoked because each serving has 5 grams of fiber (yay fiber!) and 7 grams of protein. And the reason it tastes like “regular” pasta is because it’s made with premium durum wheat semolina.

Once the pasta dilemma was solved, veggie-pasta night became so much easier. I adore roasted or grilled eggplant and tomatoes with pasta, am smitten with winter squash and pasta, and sautéed greens and pasta are fab together, though I have lately been obsessed with sautéed fennel. Obsessed.

Honestly, fennel needs more love. And no matter how trendy we all think kale is, it, too, needs to be better appreciated. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If the humans really liked kale as much as they say they do, there wouldn’t be so much of it in the compost that our local Whole Foods Market provides us for our pigs. Fennel is in the box of compost, too, but until my campaign to turn fennel into the new It vegetable commences (coming soon! coming soon!), not too many people are professing their love. And this is just so wrong.

linguine-with-fennel-kale-dreamfields-giveaway 4 | tiny farmhouse

To celebrate National Pasta Month with Dreamfields, we’ve been eating this linguine with fennel and kale, one of 31 recipes that Dreamfields is sharing to show how a slew (31 = a slew in this case) of bloggers enjoy Dreamfields.

To see all those other healthful, satisfying recipes, visit Dreamfields’ site, and follow the #IHeartDreamfields tag on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

To add to the #IHeartDreamfields love, they are so very kindly giving one lucky tiny farmhouse reader a pack of all 7 of their pasta cuts plus a $25 gift card. You can try JR’s favorite cut, linguine, my favorite (though I don’t get to have it as often as I’d like, given the linguine mandate) penne rigate, elbows (mac & cheese!), spaghetti (meatballs! Of any type, including lentils or other legumes!), angel hair (garlicky marinara!), rotini (pasta salad!), and lasagna (um, yep – lasagna!).

To enter, do any (or all) of the following. Each counts as one entry:

  • Tell me your favorite pasta meal or pasta type in the comments below.
  • Tweet to me and to Dreamfields about your favorite pasta meal or pasta cut – you know I like to give a suggested tweet, so here goes: “Hey @healthypasta & @poorgirlgourmet! I love ___ pasta! #IHeartDreamfields”
  • Follow Dreamfields on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram, and let me know that you did so in the comments below.

The contest runs through October 31, 2014 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be selected in a random drawing, and will be notified by the email address used to leave the comment.

linguine-with-fennel-kale-dreamfields-giveaway 8 | tiny farmhouse

Linguine with Fennel and Kale + a Dreamfields giveaway

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 1/4 of recipe: 390 calories

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Dreamfields Linguine, prepared according to package direction
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, peeled, trimmed, finely chopped
  • 1 pound fennel (2 medium bulbs or 1 large bulb, approximately 3 cups sliced), washed, trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into ¼-inch half-rounds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 medium bunch Lacinato kale (approximately 8 ounces/4 cups sliced), washed, trimmed of woody stems, sliced crosswise into 1-inch wide ribbons
  • 1/4 cup seedless raisins, plumped in warm water
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta-cooking water
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon grated Pecorino-Romano cheese per serving

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
  2. Heat the oil in a large sauté or frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, fennel, fennel seed, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté until the fennel has softened and is becoming translucent, 7 to 8 minutes,
  3. Add the kale and raisins to the sauté pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the kale has wilted and is bright green, 5 to 6 minutes.
  4. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and add to the sauté pan.
  5. Transfer the linguine to the sauté pan, stir well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before serving, then season with salt and pepper.
  6. Serve ¼ of the pasta and vegetables per person, and top each serving with 1 tablespoon toasted walnuts and 1 tablespoon grated Pecorino-Romano cheese.

Notes

Nutrition information (1/4 of recipe): 390 calories; 14 g protein; 62 g total carbohydrates; 14 g total fat; 1.5 g saturated fat; less than 5 mg cholesterol; 110 mg sodium; 11 g total dietary fiber.

to speed up total time, start the pasta water then prep the vegetables for a savings of about 10 minutes, total time of 30 minutes.

http://www.tinyfarmhouse.com/2014/10/linguine-with-fennel-and-kale-a-dreamfields-giveaway/

The fine print: this post is sponsored by Dreamfields, and I’ve been compensated for my work on this post and have received a couple of free boxes of linguine (lucky me & lucky JR!). As always, all opinions are my own.

102 Comments to Linguine with Fennel and Kale + a Dreamfields giveaway

  1. Barb says:

    Favorite pasta meal: good ol’ spaghetti and meatballs!

  2. Lisa Brown says:

    I like like to make lasagna; i also like angle hair pasta.

  3. I follow Dreamfields on Pinterest and Instagram (username mami2jcn)

  4. Rosie says:

    My favorite pasta is wide egg noodles – that I make myself! I love all kinds of pasta and love Dreamfields!

  5. Rosie says:

    I’ve already been following Dreamfields on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and continue to do so!!!

  6. Elena says:

    I like rotini. Thank you for the giveaway!

  7. Elena says:

    Follow Dreamfields on Twitter @ElenaIstomina, Facebook as Elena Istomina, Pinterest – pinterest.com/elena8 and Instagram as elena1509

  8. Tierney says:

    I love GIada’s recipe for butternut squash lasagne–sometimes I make it with penne to make it faster.

  9. Tierney says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Twitter

  10. My favorite pasta meal is Shrimp Scampi over Angel hair.

  11. I follow Dreamfields on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

  12. Kay Z says:

    My favorite pasta dish is Capellini with shrimp and asparagus!!

  13. Kay Z says:

    I follow Dreamfields on twitter as @kzarr & like on facebook as KayZarrugh

  14. HS says:

    My favorite pasta meal is creamy tomato lasagna.

  15. HS says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  16. carol says:

    I love linguini. It’s so versatile, lends itself to most sauces. Simple and good!

  17. amylou61 says:

    My favorite pasta meal is Spaghetti Carbonara. I use Tyler Florence’s recipe which is very easy and yummy.

  18. amylou61 says:

    I follow Dreamfields on twitter @amylou61

  19. amylou61 says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Facebook (Amy Masters Leach)

  20. amylou61 says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Instagram http://instagram.com/aleach61

  21. ET Pruitt says:

    Linguine with white clam sauce is my favorite pasta recipe.

  22. Eileen says:

    This pasta sounds so tasty and easy! You have to love lots of greens. :) My favorite pasta is probably ravioli, usually with an olive oil, garlic and arugula concoction. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

  23. Jeffrey says:

    Lately my favorite has been lasagna noodles to make roll-ups. They are so versatile, quick, easy and something the whole family enjoys. Another favorite pasta of mine is Cavatappi, use it for my Mac & Cheese. The elbow just reminds me too much of the “blue box” variety!

  24. Jeffrey says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Twitter with the handle @FireRunner2379.

  25. Jeffrey says:

    I like Dreamfields on Facebook.

  26. Jeffrey says:

    I follow Dreamfields’ Pinterest boards.

  27. I follow Dreamfields on Instagram.

  28. Clara says:

    My Lasagna that uses Bolognese Sauce, Béchamel, and lots of grated Parmesan Cheese. No ricotta, no mozzarella. I like Dreamfields Pasta, but the only shapes I can get are elbows, spaghetti,
    and penne.

  29. Kelly D says:

    I like Angel Hair Pasta with Marinara sauce.

  30. Kelly D says:

    I Follow Dreamfields on pinterest(Kelly Saver)

  31. Elle says:

    I love whole wheat spaghetti the most.

  32. Elle says:

    I follow the company on FB

  33. livivua says:

    I am a fan of farfalle pasta

  34. livivua says:

    i follow dreamfields on twitter @vivaciousgold

  35. janetfaye says:

    I like Rotini pasta cut.

    janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

  36. janetfaye says:

    I follow Dreamfield’s on Twitter – Janetfaye

  37. janetfaye says:

    I like Dreamfield’s on FB – Janet Fri

  38. janetfaye says:

    I follow Dreamfield’s on Pinterest – janetfaye

  39. HS says:

    My favorite pasta meal is turkey lasagna.

  40. HS says:

    Follow Dreamfields on Twitter

  41. HS says:

    Follow Dreamfields on Facebook

  42. HS says:

    Follow Dreamfields on Pinterst

  43. Kendal Barriere says:

    We love Dreamfields Penne pasta!

  44. Kendal Barriere says:

    I like Dreamfields on Facebook.

  45. Kendal Barriere says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Pinterest.

  46. Kendal Barriere says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Twitter. @kendalbarriere

  47. Birdiebee says:

    My favorite pasta is Angel Hair pasta. I like a white or garlic sauce with shrimp and pour over the pasta.

  48. Birdiebee says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Twitter as birdiebee52.

  49. Birdiebee says:

    I liked Dreamfields on Facebook as Terry Stevens.

  50. Birdiebee says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Pinterest as birdiebee52.

  51. Birdiebee says:

    I follow Dreamfields on Instagram as birdiebee52.

  52. Lauren says:

    lasagna is my favorite

  53. Lauren says:

    I follow on twitter @dereklauren

  54. Sarah Hall says:

    I love and use elbow macaroni the most. I love it in mac & cheese and soups.

  55. i follow dreamfields on twitter aes529

  56. following dreamfields on fb as amanda sakovitz

  57. following dreamfields on pinterest mandy375

  58. I love linguine with clam sauce.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

  59. I follow dreamfields on pinterest

  60. I follow dreamfields on instagram

  61. My favorite is Spaghetti.

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