Pasta with Greens and Bacon by Shannon Haas

Small spinach plants growing in soil

Picture by ha11ok (2017). Licensed by Pixaby.

 

Savor those end-of-summer greens for as long as you can! It’s always a delight to see leafy greens in our CSA boxes, especially when the growing season starts to wind down a bit. In September we might find ourselves lucky enough to see lettuce, or maybe even some spinach or other sautee-able greens. 

If you’re looking for some new and creative recipes for greens, I’m excited to share with you a one-pot pasta recipe that takes very little time, is easy on cleanup, and is comforting at all times of year. This recipe is adapted from Budget Bytes - a food blogger I’ve followed for at least a decade. Definitely check out her other simple recipes here for more inspiration: https://www.budgetbytes.com/ 

Ingredients

• 6 oz. bacon, cut into small pieces (1 inch or less)

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 1/2 lb. pasta

• 1/4 lb. fresh spinach or mixture of greens (about 4 cups)

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

Step 1: Sauté the bacon in a large skillet until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon. If needed, pour off some of the fat, leaving 1-2 Tbsp behind. (You can strain the fat and cook another meal with it later)

Step 2: Add the diced onions to the skillet and saute for a few minutes, until soft.

Step 3: Add two cups of chicken broth to the skillet. (I use Better than Boullion mixed with water, if I don’t have homemade broth on hand)

Step 4: Add the pasta to the skillet, cover it, and let it come to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, stir quickly and then turn the heat down to low. Cook for around 10 minutes, or a little longer if there’s still a lot of liquid left (in which case you should uncover the pot to allow it to evaporate). You can check on it and stir it to see how it’s progressing.

Step 5: Add the spinach (or other greens) to the skillet and stir until it has wilted into the pasta. 

Step 6: Turn the heat off and add the crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately!

I haven’t experimented with non-meat substitutes for this dish yet, so if you try it out with an alternative please share in the comments below!

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA?  Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html