Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Pasta With Spinach and Cheese Sauce

Jessi is absolutely fearless in the kitchen, much like my old roommate Kiyash. They both have a willingness to "boldly go" and experiment. Recently she concocted this happy accident on clear-out-the-fridge day. She was convinced that the secret ingredient in this first version was soy milk (sounded odd to me, but it was delicious). When we refined the recipe, we used regular milk and it tasted the same. In the end, we just eliminated the milk.

--1 lb Large Rigatoni (or other hefty pasta), cooked al dente
--Olive Oil
--1 cup White Mushrooms, cut up small, however you would like
--1/2 to 3/4 cup Sliced Ham, small dice
--1 box or more Frozen Spinach (much easier to approximate the wilted volume than fresh spinach)
--1 cup Smoked Gouda Cheese, small dice (Jessi sez: use any cheese here or a combination of cheeses. Parmesan would work. I sez: the smoked gouda was brilliant and I wouldn't change a thing)
--1/2 to 3/4 cup Sour Cream
--Salt and Pepper

While your pasta is cooking, heat olive oil on medium heat and saute the mushrooms and ham. When mushrooms are done, throw the ham and mushrooms in a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the heat, add a little more olive oil and the spinach and saute for a couple minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms and ham, the sour cream and the cheese. Bring to a bubble. Let simmer for 5 minutes or so and season with salt and pepper. Toss well with the pasta.

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