Cavatappi with Spinach, Garbanzo Beans, and Feta

Quick light summer meal! I feel like its a balanced nutritious meal and my kids loved it! It gives me energy. I made it with whole wheat spiral pasta instead and it turned out great. Also it would be great with cherry tomatoes and/or olives. It's good for an easy vegetarian dinner.

Good recipe-- very easy. I used canned spinach (*gasp*). I thought the garlic was very overpowering and, prior to adding them, I tried to let the garlic soak in the lemon dressing, but they were still kicking when they were all combined. I brought it for lunch today along with a pack of gum! I also added 1/2 tsp of crush red pepper and that helped add another dimension to the meal. Might make again...

I was expecting a little more flavor....did everything just as the recipe says, except I cut it in half and added kalamata olives as well. I think that made a difference. It's good for vegeterian night.

My daughter is vegetarian so this worked out well for all of us. The carnivores added strips of grilled chicken. I used black beans since we prefer these. I added Kalamata olives to mine.Will have again!

Excellent! The flavor and texture combinations were wonderful and the recipe was easy to throw together for a quick weeknight meal! I cut the recipe in half, from 12 to 6 servings and there was still a large amount to save as leftovers. This reheated well, but should be reheated slowly to avoid melting the feta. I would make this again - it was delicious and very filling!

I like that this has greens and beans, and the kids love pasta...but it was a little "flat" in the taste department. I added some Parmesan, which helped a little, and then a little honey mustard dressing, which oddly enough, gave it a little tangy sweet punch. The hubby loved it, the two year old had seconds, and the 4 year old liked it ok with added dressing. By the way, we eat lots of greens and veggies, plain jane, and the kids love them, I don't usually coat veggies with dressing. :) We will eat leftovers tomorrow, but I don't know that we would make it again.

Love this one. We eat it regularly, but I make one change because I don't like raw garlic. I saute the garlic in the olive oil while I am making the pasta then put it all together. Yum.

3 stars is "Good, solid recipe" and that is just what this is: a good, solid recipe. I made the recipe just as stated, except that I added a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Pine nuts would be delicious as well, and I think I will add those next time. I loved the ease of putting everything together. Definitely a good "go-to" dinner for a busy weeknight...or even a quick lunch. Recommended.

This was excellent! I cooked the garlic a little in the oil and then added the spinach. Also added some red pepper flakes and lemon zest to give it a little kick. Served a little warm. Loved it so much I ate too much! Will definitely make again. Would be great to bring to a summer potluck.

Easy, fast and delicious. Couldn't ask for more in a recipe. Made exactly as written.

My boyfriend and I both really liked this. I only used half the amount of pasta and beans but kept all the other ingredients the same. I also added a little Parmesan cheese. I will definitely make this again!

Mine came out with lots more spinach in it than the picture shows, which is fine as we like spinach. I made this yesterday. My vegetarian daughter raved about it so we will be making it again. I might try it with greek olives in it next time, or some kind of nut or seed, not sure. I can't help but feel there is "something missing", but need to accept it is plain, simple good and one doesn't have to have 18 ingredients for a good dish! It's very light overall, yet the zing of the fresh garlic gives a nice kick to it. Yum, I can't wait to have leftovers of it later today.

Delicious, fast and easy to make and it's a great vegetarian entree as well. I did make a couple of changes: I cut it down to just 2 servings (cooking just for myself), I minced the garlic instead just crushing it, and used 100% whole-wheat pasta. I'll definitely be making this again.

Delicious and SO EASY! This is probably the best cooking light recipe I've made in terms of yumminess per minute of prep. I added kalamata olives. Made 1/2 recipe and used fusilli since I couldn't find cavatappi. 6 oz. of cavatappi only made 3 c. cooked, so I'd recommend 8 oz. for 1/2 recipe or 16 for the full recipe. And - if you're serving this as an entree, a half recipe is 4 servings and the full recipe is 8 (not 12). Will definitely be making this one again!

So easy and absolutely delicious. This will be added to the weekly menu.

Excellent! I made a few adjustments: couldn't find cavatappi, so I used rigatoni; only had one can of garbanzo beans, so used a can of light red kidney beans; added Italian turkey sausage for some extra protein and flavor. It came out great! Next time I think I'm going to add some olives or sun-dried tomatoes that others have recommended.

Easy and delicious!

I was really disappointed in the flavor department of this recipe. I added fresh chopped tomato and used whole wheat pasta but it lacked something. I think I'm going to try adding fresh garlic and possibly kalamatas for more flavor. I do really appreciate a dinner that is vegetarian and budget friendly. It wasn't amazing but it was quick and filling for a work night dinner. I portioned out the recipe for just myself and husband. It took maybe 15 minutes to cook. I also served with baked apples and we were really full after this simple meal.

Loved it. The little bit of feta really makes it and the garbanzo beans add substance. It is such a super easy thing to make ahead and use for the week's lunch--since it is served cold and requires no prep whatsoever, I have more time at lunch to do other things. I will make this again. It's definitely more of a lunch staple than a show-stopping dinner dish, but lunch staples deserve five stars too if they've earned it!

This was excellent! We use cannellini beans instead of garbanzo's because I just couldn't imagine the texture of the garbanzo's with pasta. Next time we might try them, but the cannellini beans were good. Also added crushed red pepper for a little kick, and topped with parmesan cheese. Oh, and we used whole wheat pasta because that's all we had. It was super tasty, and the squeeze of lemon made it nice and fresh. It's not so great for leftovers, though - the lack of sauce makes it kind of dry. Still, very tasty and super easy!

This is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe (although I decreased the number of servings). Will take the advice of some of the reviewers next time and add olives and/or tomatoes for some color and variety. It was still wonderful without the extras. Served it with cantaloupe slices. We can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow night!

This was sooooo easy, and tasted so fresh and light. This is one of those great "base recipes", that you can add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Next time, I'll consider adding kalamatas, for sure, maybe tomato, maybe chicken. The whole family enjoyed, including both the three y.o. and the seven y.o., so I'll definitely make again for an everyday meal, and I'd put it out there as a side for a special occasion, too. Allie www.miamibabymama.com

This was great! I brought it to a party and everyone raved! I did add some sun dried tomatoes, but probably not enough to make a difference

Excellent and easy. I used only 8 oz of the pasta but added more feta. I also used about 1 1/2 tsp of grated lemon rind to boost the lemon flavor. I'll definitely make again. I think I might add some chopped fresh herbs next time, maybe basil or parsley.

Loved it! I added some green olives too. It is very refreshing. Very easy to make.

Great recipe: quick, easy and healthy! One change I made was to replace the garbonzo beans with white kidney beans, I just prefer the texture of the kidney beans better in this recipe, everything else is fantastic!

I've made this more than 10 times and given the recipe to nearly that many friends. It's kid friendly, time friendly, and budget friendly while being delicious and pretty on the plate.

Fast, simple and really tasty. I put the water on for the noodles and put everything else together while they were cooking. Use the pre-washed baby spinach to make it even easier. I probably used more feta than it called for but everything else was perfect. Divide this recipe in half unless you're feeding an army.