Friday, September 20, 2013

Tomato & Spinach Pasta


I've started yet another quarter of school... and class goes till 6:00. Well, I got home yesterday, and had this whipped up by 7:00! :) Plus the cost per serving on this meal is just under a dollar! This recipe makes enough for 4 hungry people (or dinner for both of us plus lunch the next day!) 


olive oil
1 small onion
3 garlic gloves
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
red pepper flakes
kosher salt & pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 lb penne pasta
6 oz. spinach




1) Cook penne pasta (the neat thing about this is while the water is boiling and pasta is cooking, you should have the sauce ready by the time the pasta is al dente!)



2) In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic until translucent. 




3) Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper (I might add a little garlic salt as well at this step.) Stir




4) Add the tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce. Then turn the heat down to low.





5) Cut pieces of cream cheese into the sauce. (I might have used a little bit more cream cheese than it called for...)









6) Whisk in the cream cheese. 










7) Whisk in Parmesan cheese. (I saved some for garnishing the finished product)










8) Add the spinach and gently stir into sauce. Let the spinach wilt slightly, then add the cooked pasta.








Next time I might add chicken, and maybe asparagus instead of spinach... 



It really makes great leftovers! 


7 comments:

  1. Just what I was looking for. Thanks. :)

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  2. I made this and it was super delicious I added chicken! Thank

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  3. I am going to try this with mascarpone instead of cream chese. It sounds delishious. Thanks :)

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  4. I made this today and was a success! I never have canned tomatoes, so I used diced roma tomatoes. I also added chicken. My husband loved it and I am looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks! :)

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  5. Just made this. Didn't have tomatoe past but still came out good! Hubby loved it!

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  6. I just served this to my family for dinner and they really liked it. Even my super picky eater with texture issues tried it. This one is going into the menu rotation. Thank you. :)

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  7. We added sausage and used the entire 8 oz of cream cheese! Excellet! Thanks for the share!

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