An easy yet elegant pasta dish with the bright flavour of lemons combined with baby clams and spinach.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon
2 cups fresh chopped spinach or baby spinach
1 can baby clams, drained
pinch salt and pepper
150g brown rice vermicelli
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and zest from the lemon, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Add clams, then salt and pepper. Heat through.
Place vermicelli noodles into a large bowl or baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to completely cover the noodles. Let stand for a few minutes until noodles are tender, then drain water and add noodles to the lemon mixture. Add parmesan and toss together, then return to stovetop until heated through.

Brown rice vermicelli is typically used in Asian cuisine, but it also works well in any pasta dish as a substitute for Italian vermicelli or angel hair pasta. I like that it has the nutritional benefits of brown rice while still maintaining a light and airy texture.
I’m so in love with this recipe. It’s ridiculously simple so it makes a great weeknight meal, but also tastes sophisticated enough that you could serve it at a dinner party. Everyone enjoyed it, although Cole only liked the first bite and then changed his mind. I happily polished off the rest of his. We wouldn’t want it to go to waste, right?

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