Penne with Creamy Spinach, Mushrooms and Bacon

Between our pork belly class at Corner Table on Wednesday & our early birthday celebration at Craftsman on Saturday, we felt like we'd been eating ourselves silly last week. Come Sunday, we really wanted something that would come together easily, be comforting & use items we had in our fridge...thus this pasta.

Ok, with the heavy cream & bacon this isn't the lightest dish but really per serving you aren't getting that much. Plus you are eating a lot of spinach & only 2 ounces of pasta. But forget all of that stuff because, this pasta just tastes really good & that's what food is about, right. The sauce is rich thanks to the sherry, cream & mushrooms, it almost tasted like a lighter version of stroganoff sauce. The spinach retains its bright green color & the bacon adds a shot of red making for a dish that looks as good on the plate as it tastes.

Penne with Creamy Spinach, Mushrooms & Bacon

2 slices of bacon, chopped
4 oz brown mushrooms, sliced
2 spring onions, chopped
1/2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 t sherry
salt & pepper
4 cups, loosely packed spinach, torn
4 oz cooked penne
Grated parmesan, optional

In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel covered plate & set aside.

Add the mushrooms & onions to the pan. Cook until the mushrooms have released all their liquid & the liquid as mostly cooked off. Add the butter & melt. Sprinkle the flour over everything & cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock. Cook while stirring until bubbly & thick. Stir in the cream and sherry. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Just before serving stir in the bacon & spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, a minute or two. Stir in the cooked pasta. Heat through. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top if desired.

2 servings.

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