Babyfood. Last thing you'd think would make good leftover grub. But our 2.74 year old has proved a remarkably tough critic. According to her, we are quite possibly the worst cooks on earth. (A certain Chef Boyardee sets a standard we could never hope to equal.) This has left us with a wide range of pureed products to fashion into something edible. The class of these so far is this simple frozen spinach pasta.
Spinach Pasta
1 lb defrosted frozen spinach
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
3-4 tablespoons dried Italian spices (Any Italian seasoning works, as does even amounts of dried oregano and basil, with a generous pinch of garlic powder.)
pasta (Rotini is perfect for this)
olive oil
1. Puree spinach in a food processor. You might need to add a touch more water to get a smooth puree. Remove from processor. (Do not substitue commercial spinach baby food. It costs a fortune and tastes awful.)
2. Now put the cream cheese and about a half a cup of water into the food processor. Let it go. Add additional water, as needed, to make a creamy mixture. Remove from processor and keep separate from pureed spinach.
3. Toast pine nuts in a warm pan (low medium heat, tossing frequently until lightly browned) and set aside.
4. Cook pasta. Before draining, reserve about a cup of cooking water.
5. While pasta is cooking, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow, deep skillet. Add spice mixture and stir to toast for about 15 seconds.
6. Add pureed spinach and a sprinkle of salt and cook for a few minutes, until it loses its bright green color.
7. Add cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes.
8. Add pine nuts and then cooked pasta to skillet, along with as much of the pasta cooking water as is needed, until the sauce-to-pasta ratio is correct (in other words, how you like it.)
9. Adjust for seasoning and serve with grated cheese.
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