Veggie Creations

I had to find a good recipe to make for the girls for "Woman's Club" and it needed to be vegetarian. So I started searching for good recipies in Joy of Cooking and Betty Crocker but nothing jumped out of me. So I was flipping the channels and stumbled upon the Food Network. Giada was on so I decided for stay tuned for a bit and see what she was up to. I was so glad I stayed. She was making this delicious looking garlic and citrus chicken but the next recipe was what I was interested in. A spinach and goat cheese pasta. It was definitely the right dish. All of the girls LOVED it and wanted to take the left overs with them.

Source: Food Network

Penne with Spinach Sauce

1 pound whole wheat or multi grain penne 3 garlic cloves 2 ounces goat cheese 1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside. Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.