Creamy Pesto Pasta

Do you notice a pattern here? I make a lot of pasta and I have no regrets. It’s easy with kids and budget friendly for people like yours truly. Tonight I mad Pesto Pasta and let me tell you it did NOT disappoint. It was cheesy, delicious, and it allows us moms to sneak in those hidden veggies. I wanted more but portion control and willpower had to kick into over drive because, momma is watching her calories!

Okay, so let’s start out with what you’ll need for this yummy meal!

-Box of macaroni

-2 TBSP butter

-2 TBSP flour

-2 cups whole milk (skim or 1% would work fine as well, just may not be as creamy...less calories though)

-1/2 cup of grated parmesan

-1/4 cup of basil pesto

-1/2 tsp salt

-pepper

-1/2 lb of frozen spinach (I actually used fresh and cooked it down on my own, cheaper that way as well.)

Instructions:

1.)    If you’re using frozen spinach, now is the time to thaw it out, put it in the microwave if you haven’t had time to set it out to thaw. Set it aside when you’re done. If you’re cooking down your own spinach then what you need to do is put a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet, place your fresh spinach in there and turn your heat up to about medium low and stir occasionally. It will slowly start to wilt and once it’s all cooked down, I put it in a small bowl until I’m ready to use it.

2.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add your macaroni…then of course, drain it.

3.) While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce. Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and stir the butter over medium heat until it forms a creamy paste and begins to bubble. Continue to cook and stir for about a minute more.

4.) Whisk the milk into the butter and flour and wait for it to simmer. Make sure to continuously whisk otherwise it WILL stick especially if you’ve got stainless steel cookware. Once it reaches a simmer the sauce with thicken, at that point remove it from the heat.

5.) Whisk the parmesan and the pesto into the sauce until its smooth. Add your salt and pepper now. Make sure you season it rather thoroughly, if you don’t the basil and the spinach will sort of overtake the taste of the meal. I added the salt and then literally id guess about a TBSP of pepper. I usually don’t measure, I just eyeball it.

6.) Pour your pasta back into your pan, add the spinach and then pour the sauce on top and stir until combined.

I don’t have accurate nutritional info on this recipe but I’ve calculated it to be around 475 cal and theres 6 servings in the whole box....I know, I’m brilliant lol All I know is its really good and my oldest who “hates spinach” asked for a second plate.

Also, I got my OWN picture this time!

#pesto #spinach #pasta #parmesan #dinner #budget #yummy #tasty