Italian night.

Bolognese over penne with sautéed spinach and cannellini beans.

This is my go-to plate for a filling meal. It’s full of protein and flavor. On a chilly night, this is quite a mood changer. It’s a weekly favorite in the winter, and a frequent combo for the summer, too.

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You’ll need an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to make the sauce. I know there are similar recipes that use a CrockPot or other slow cooking method, but I find the Instant Pot works wonders in a short period of time!

The Bolognese Sauce: Recipe from Damn Delicious. Easy to make and hearty! The instructions are simple and most of the time is spent watching the Instant Pot do its thing.

Note: I love cinnamon, but I don’t like it in my tomato sauce. I know many people do, though. Personally, I leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg; I add in a little bit of celery salt instead. Also, sometimes when the sauce is finished, it’s a little watery. If you are able to prepare the sauce a day ahead of time, I think the flavors are better the next day.

The Spinach and Beans: Recipe from Taste of Home. Great recipe to add greens to this plate. Sometimes I add the beans, and sometimes I make the recipe without the beans and double the spinach. Either way, very tasty!

Note: I don’t measure the spinach or beans. I typically use a can of beans and a large container of fresh spinach. I also add some crushed red pepper flakes for some heat. Not surprisingly given my advice from above, I also leave out the nutmeg. It would go great with the sauce, though if you enjoy the flavor.

The Pasta: Cook any shaped pasta of your choice according to the package. I personally prefer al-dente, because there are lots of leftovers for sauce, so I typically reheat some for lunch the next day. For this plate, I used penne, but linguine also works well. I’d recommend a thicker pasta that can handle a hefty sauce.

That’s it. Cover your pasta with a healthy helping of sauce and add some greens. One plate. One meal.