Mushroom and Spinach Penne

Sometimes the best dinners come about when you’re just scrounging up random things you have left in your fridge.  This is especially true with pasta.  You can make pasta with anything in it, the random bits of vegetables leftover from previous dishes are perfect to add to a pasta dish.  That’s what I did yesterday when I made this.

I’d been itching to make pasta ever since I got back from spring break (it was fabulous by the way) with the colander my sister bought me.

It would seem she was scandalized last fall when she visited me and found out I was draining pasta with a plate over the top of my pots.  But really, buying a colander seemed so unnecessary…besides, I was absolutely incapable of remembering that I needed one every time I went to the store.  I finally got around to making pasta last night, and decided to throw in all the little bits of veggies I needed to use up.  You can, of course, take the idea of this recipe and use any vegetables you have lying around in your fridge.  In fact, I encourage it!  Green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, all would be an awesome addition or substitute in this pasta if you’ve got them on hand.  A can of diced tomatoes (which I usually have…gotta go to the store) would be delicious too.  Play around with it and do what’s convenient for you.

Ingredients (serves 4):

12 oz penne pasta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 red pepper, diced

2 cups mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

5 oz spinach (frozen or fresh will work, whatever you’ve got)

1/3 c white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onions in olive oil over medium heat until onions become translucent.  Add red pepper and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper.  Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Add spinach, wine, and lemon juice.  Simmer for 5 minutes until spinach is wilted (fresh) or heated through (frozen).

3. Place cooked pasta in a bowl and combine with vegetable mixture and cheese.  Toss and serve with additional cheese.