Want to add more vegetables to your meal? ‘Put a salad on it.’

Penne with Shrimp, Toasted Garlic and Arugula. Tom McCorkle/photo; Gina Nistico/food styling, for The Washington Post In the spirit of “put an egg on it,” the here-to-stay trend that turns, say, a plate of vegetables or toast into a more balanced meal, I’d like to propose “put a salad on it.” A pile of greens on top of hot food not only adds colorful freshness to the plate, but it also rounds out the meal the way a side salad would, but with minimal effort and no extra dishes.

I discovered this at home one busy weeknight when I was serving a batch of spaghetti and meatballs to my husband and daughter. I had some arugula on hand that I had intended to put into the sauce on the stove to wilt, but at the last minute, I switched gears and mounded the fresh greens on top of each plate of pasta, drizzled each with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. We all enjoyed what we called the “salad pasta” so much, it became a regular thing.

I started piling various salad greens onto other dishes, such as pizzas and bowls of stew. This dish applies “put a salad on it” to one of my go-to rush-hour meals: pasta with shrimp and toasted garlic. The driving flavor of the dish is thinly sliced garlic, which is cooked in olive oil over low heat until it turns golden and develops a deep, toasty flavor.

Then, fresh tomatoes are added to soften and release their juices, followed by shrimp, lemon zest and some red pepper flakes. Everything cooks together until the shrimp is pink and su.