the thin chef

I’ve been away for awhile, haven’t I? I could give a million excuses, but instead I think I’ll pick up where I left off. Sound good? I appreciate those of you who’ve continued to check in here time to time to see if I’d gotten my act together and rejoined the land of the blogging. It’s only been two weeks, but in a world of daily updates {and minute-by-minute tweets}, two weeks feels like two months.

Truth is, I’ve been making a lot of repeat dinners…another savory tart here, another stir fry there…and I haven’t really been branching out in the kitchen. We’re also doing some major budget tightening here at Chez Thin Chef, so as my grocery budget shrinks, I tend to rely on go-to, inexpensive meals. More on what these entail soon, I promise.

Anyway, I made this delicious pasta for one a few weekends ago when Jason was out watching football. I’d been running around all day, and it was just chilly enough outside to warrant a hooded sweatshirt. Those evenings call for something carb-y and creamy and comforting. And, if you know me at all, you know that when I’m home alone, I make pasta.

For budget {and laziness} reasons, I relied on what I already had on hand. Once the combo of bacon and goat cheese came to mind, the dish came together quickly. Smoky, slightly chewy thick-cut Georgia bacon, creamy Alabama-made chèvre, and a few handfuls of {gasp} frozen spinach—but only because my fridge lacked fresh—created this lovely balance of fatty, creamy, and veggie…all atop a serving of small seashell pasta. This is for one serving, but as always, it can easily be doubled or quadrupled as needed.

Oh, and my camera battery died, and when I grabbed the replacement battery from my bag, it was dead, too. Oops. So I grabbed my iPhone to snap a picture of this yummy little bowl, and then I had some fun and turned it into a polaroid via Rollip.com since, let’s be honest, the iPhone is no Canon Rebel.

Pasta with Bacon, Spinach & Goat Cheese
serves 1

1/4 pound (or so) short-cut pasta, such as seashells, penne, or bowties
2 (or 3 if you’re so inclined) slices thick-cut bacon, cut into small strips
2 very generous handfuls fresh spinach (or frozen, if you must, thawed and squeezed of excess water)
Drizzle of olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons crumbled chevre (or to taste)
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling, well-salted water according to box directions. Meanwhile, cook bacon over medium heat until mostly crisp and golden brown. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Drain pasta, and return to pot. Add bacon, spinach, and a drizzle of oil. Toss with tongs or 2 spoons until spinach is wilted and everything is nicely coated with oil. Place in a serving bowl, and top with chevre and red pepper flakes. Taste, and add salt if needed. (Pasta should be seasoned from the salty cooking water, and bacon is quite salty itself, so make sure to taste it before adding salt!)

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm and is filed under pasta, quick and easy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.