Veggie Rigatoni

Context & symptom log

I planned this one for a chill Saturday dinner with friends—no classes, no deadlines. My symptoms were quiet: only low-grade wrist stiffness (lupus) and zero orthostatic dizziness or migraine aura. Because the plate leans on butter and aged parmesan, it’s a “treat” meal rather than therapeutic food.

Disorder	Impact	Note
POTS	✖︎ Not targeted	Finished bowl has < 300 mg sodium; fine on a calm circulation day, but not for stabilising dizziness.
Lupus flare-up	⚪︎ Neutral	Veggies and pine-nut MUFAs are helpful, but butter & parmesan add saturated fat—OK when inflammation is mild.
Vestibular migraine	⚠︎ Caution	Aged parmesan is high histamine; substitute same-day grated Pecorino Romano or omit cheese if you’re sensitive.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Item	Amount	Prep notes
Rigatoni or paccheri	12 oz	Cooked al dente in salted water
Zucchini	1 medium	½-inch half-moons
Yellow squash	1 medium	Same cut
Baby spinach	2 packed cups	Rough-chopped
Canned artichoke hearts	1 cup, quartered	Rinse, pat dry
Pine nuts	¼ cup	Toast 3 min dry skillet
Unsalted butter	3 Tbsp	For sauce
Grated parmesan	½ cup	Reserve extra to finish
Garlic	2 cloves, minced
Lemon zest	1 tsp	Bright lift
Fresh parsley, chopped	2 Tbsp	Finish
Salt & cracked pepper	to taste

50-minute method

1. Roast vegetables (20 min). Toss zucchini & squash in olive oil, salt, pepper; bake 425 °F until golden.

2. Boil pasta (10 min). Salt water well; save 1 cup starchy water before draining.

3. Build sauce (5 min). Melt butter; sauté garlic 30 s. Whisk in ½ cup pasta water and parmesan until glossy.

4. Combine (10 min). Add pasta, roasted veg, artichoke hearts, spinach; toss until spinach wilts. Adjust with more water if needed.

5. Finish (5 min). Fold in lemon zest and parsley; top bowls with pine nuts, extra parmesan, crack of pepper.

Total active standing: ~30 min, the rest waiting on roasting.

Nutrition snapshot (per serving)

• Protein  19 g

• Sodium  ≈ 280 mg

• Fiber   5 g

• Omega-3 ALA (from pine nuts) 0.3 g