EXPRESS LANE : ON THE TABLE IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS.

The following quick recipe is adapted from ``Summer-Winter Pasta'' by Grace Parisi.

PENNE WITH SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE

PASTA:

Water

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups uncooked penne pasta

SAUCE:

4 cups packaged, cleaned spinach leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup slivered basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 ounces soft goat cheese

1/2 cup prepared croutons, finely crushed

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan OR Romano cheese 

To prepare Pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in olive oil and salt, then add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

While pasta is cooking, prepare Sauce, stacking several spinach leaves at a time. Cut coarsely into shreds with a kitchen scissors; set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes; saute 2 minutes. Then add spinach and cook about 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from pan, add basil leaves and set aside.

To cooked, drained pasta, add spinach-basil mixture, salt, pepper and goat cheese. Toss to coat pasta, adding enough reserved hot cooking water to make a creamy sauce.

Stir in crushed croutons and grated cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: Using packaged, cleaned spinach leaves makes this an easy dish to put together.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 461 calories; 17.8 grams protein; 40 grams fat; 52.3 grams carbohydrates; 564 milligrams sodium; 18 milligrams cholesterol.

Express To Go

Senor Grandes Fresh Mexican Grill, 21514 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills [phone]; 3637 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village [phone]; 8860 Corbin Ave., Northridge [phone].

One day while shopping at Nordstrom Rack, a friend and I noticed Grandes in Woodland Hills and decided to give it a try. The menu is good-sized, and many things sounded tasty, so ordering was difficult.

Finally, we settled on a Chicken Fajita Burrito, Nachos With Grilled Sirloin Steak and a Chicken Salad Grande. Orders came with fresh chips and a self-serve selection of salsas from the salsa bar. Salsas were tasty, but most seemed hot rather than mild.

The Chicken Fajita Burrito ($4.48) was filled with skinless chicken breast, sizzling fajita mix, rice, sour cream and melted Jack cheese. The burrito was fresh and nicely filled, but the guacamole, mentioned on the menu, was missing - and that would have made this selection even more tasty. A Sirloin Steak Fajita Burrito was also available for $4.76 along with a Bean & Rice Burrito ($2.59), Vegetarian Burrito ($3.88) and several other variations. Any burrito is available topped with sauce and melted Jack cheese for 79 cents extra.

The Nachos ($3.84; with sirloin steak add $1.78; with grilled chicken breast add $1.48) were an average-size portion. Fresh corn chips were covered with black beans (or pinto beans), melted Jack cheese, sour cream and tender steak pieces. The whole thing was garnished with a few spicy pickled carrots. The nachos were good, but needed more cheese - and steak. Guacamole would have zipped the nachos up, too. These nachos definitely needed salsas from the salsa bar to zip up the flavor and appearance.

The Chicken Salad Grande ($4.48) came with a sliced, grilled skinless chicken breast on a bed of chopped iceberg lettuce with marinated carrots, chopped tomatoes and green bell peppers. We tried both dressing choices - Tomatillo Vinaigrette Dressing or Ranch Dressing - which had good flavor. Without the dressings, the chicken salad was rather flavorless. Other salad choices include a Tostada Salad ($5.22) and Garden Salad Grande ($4.16).

If you are in the mood for tacos, Grandes offers Soft Tacos with grilled chicken or sirloin steak ($1.94); a Vegetarian Taco ($1.80); Garden Taco ($1.80); and Fajita Taco with grilled chicken or sirloin steak ($2.40), which is a bargain. Or you might want to try some of their favorites - Chicken and Rice Plate ($4.25); Regular Quesadilla ($2.72; with grilled chicken breast add $1.48; with with sirloin steak add $1.78); or Taquitos (three chicken taquitos ($4.16). Combination plates and side orders are also available.

Grandes uses no lard or MSG. You can make any of their menu items into a combo, which includes adding black or pinto beans, rice, fresh salsa and a grilled onion for an additional $1.25.

You can eat inside or out on the patio.

And when you're shopping in the neighborhood during the holidays and don't feel like cooking dinner, you can order takeout. The food is fresh and appealing - and the prices are reasonable.