Recipe #3: Pasta Serendipity

Pasta Serendipity

This dish was the result of happy happenstance, hence the name, "Serendipity."  While preparing dinner, I was actually fighting some massive cheese curls cravings (the kids just got some for the lunch bags).  There were just some random bits of this & that in the fridge when suddenly I got a brainwave along the lines of fettuccini alfredo and spaghetti carbonara.  Using leftover Dreamfields spaghetti (see my previous posting on products that our family loves), I came up with this recipe.  Not so exact, kind of like a recipe you might find in your great grandmother's little recipe notebook.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Dreamfields spaghetti prepared per label
• 1 package bacon
• 1-16 oz package of baby spinach
• 3 cloves minced garlic (1 heaping teaspoon if using prepared garlic from a jar)
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or 1 slice provolone per serving
• grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, 1 tbsp per serving
• full fat cream, 2-3 tbsp per serving

Procedure:

1. wash spinach & drain in a colander
2. prepare bacon to desired crispness & reserve rendered bacon fat
3. saute spinach & garlic in the bacon fat over medium-high heat until spinach is wilted
4. place the following on a microwaveable plate in layers: single serving of spaghetti; 3/4 cup wilted spinach; mozzarella/provolone cheese; drizzled cream; sprinkled Parmesan/Romano cheese
5. cover with a paper towel & microwave on high to melt cheese
6. sprinkle with 1-2 slices of crumbled bacon

YUM-E!!!

NOTE: the bacon fat is plenty salty, so you don't need to salt your spinach.  Also, if you choose to use turkey bacon, you should add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to the pan before wilting the spinach.