Here’s another quick and tasty meal you might want to try.

We buy the bag of frozen spinach & cheese ravioli at Costco, which seems to switch between a couple of brands. These only take about 8 minutes to cook, if I recall correctly, and they aren’t too bad in terms of fat and other no-so-good-for-you ingredients.

On this evening, I put a pot of water on the stove to boil for the ravioli. While it was heating I chopped one low-fat chicken sausage (a Safeway brand), and browned it with a little olive oil and garlic, and added a good serving of anchovies. If I had any mushrooms, I would have added a few of those as well. Or they could replace the sausage for those wanting to stay on the vegetarian side of the aisle.

Meanwhile, in another pot, I steamed a nice portion of kale, central stems removed, and leaves ripped into smaller pieces. I assume you could easily use other greens instead.

When ravioli was cooked, it all came together. The ravioli went in a bowl. The sausage, garlic, anchovy, olive oil mix went on top, then the steamed kale was mixed in. Red pepper added to taste. On this night I also added the juice from a 1/2 lemon, something I don’t usually do. Parmesan sprinkle optional at the table.

The cat–Ms. Harry, in this case–also optional.

About half the time I serve these ravioli in a red sauce. One can of diced tomatoes, low salt, and a generous pinch or two of Italian herb seasoning (I usually have some from Penzy’s, but otherwise have a Costco backup). The same garlic and anchovies go in the sauce, along with a splash of red wine, if available. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, and it’s ready for the hot ravioli and hot pepper flakes to be added.

These are low maintenance, everyday meals that can be whipped up in no time.

Click for larger versions of the pictures.