My Kind of Night

I really do love to cook even if it's just for myself, sometimes those are my favorite kind of recipes, the kind I just throw together and improvise, they are also usually the recipes that Mike won't eat. I like the satisfaction I get from making a meal I enjoy and this was no exception. Since Mike is away this week I knew I could make whatever I wanted and not worry about him eating it, although that never stops me. Mike may have eaten this meal it probably wouldn't have been his first choice.

When I logged into my e-tools yesterday the featured recipe of the day was a Creamy Spinach Pasta. Normally pesto sauce can be really fattening with all the oil and the pine nuts however this spinach pesto is extremely low in fat and super healthy. I knew right away I had to make this and then I got it stuck in my head. However I wanted to make some  adjustments to it, since I didn't have any cream cheese in the house that it called for, although the way I ended up making it, I also didn't have any laughing cow but thats besides the point. I thought the laughing cow cheese in it was a great way to make this creamy while still maintaining the low fat integrity. I also wanted to add the tomatoes in since they're no points and it bulks it up, and for some added protein I bought some shrimp to put in it as well.

This dish was so easy to make, all it took was some pasta, the tomatoes and shrimp cooked themselves in the toaster oven so no work required there and for the sauce you just had to put the ingredients in the food processer. I'm so happy with the way this turned out, this would seem like a great way to get kids to eat more vegetables too since the sauce is just pureed spinach. I thoroughly enjoyed my bowl of pasta accompanied by a glass of wine wine and my book, that is my perfect kind of evening!

Creamy Spinach Pasta
Inspired By: Spark People and Weight Watchers

12 ounces of Pasta (I used thin linguine)
4 cloves garlic
3 wedges Laughing Cow Cheese
6-8oz fresh baby spinach
Grated parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
Reserved pasta water (about 1/2 cup)
Cherry tomatoes (about a pint, I used a little more)(optional)
Shrimp (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions in well salted water. While it cooks, drop the garlic cloves into the food processor while the blade is spinning to chop them. Add the cheese and all but a handful of the spinach leaves. Pulse until combined and creamy, and season to taste with red pepper, salt & freshly ground black pepper.

If you would like to add cherry tomatoes, I roasted mine in the toaster while the water boiled and the pasta cooked on 425 degrees seasoned with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I also added shrimp to mine as well and roasted them with the tomatoes.

Cut the remaining spinach leaves into ribbons and put in the bottom of a large serving bowl. When pasta is cooked, drain and reserve about a cup of the cooking water. Put the drained pasta on top of the spinach ribbons and add the spinach pesto sauce. Add a bit of the pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency of the sauce. Fold in the parmesan cheese just before serving.