Creamy Spinach and Turkey Fettuccine

Some of the best dinners are born from empty refrigerators, don't you agree?

This simple Creamy Spinach and Turkey Fettuccine recipe takes only as long as the wait for the pasta to become tender to the bite.  The creamy sauce is loaded with tender spinach and zesty chunks of sun-dried tomato turkey.  With only a handful of ingredients and two pots, I had a fresh, satisfying dinner on the table in under half an hour.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES
To feed 4 to 6 folks

• 1 pound dry fettuccine pasta

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced small
• 6 to 8 whole garlic cloves

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 pound Plantation Sun-dried Tomato Turkey breast, cut into bite-size chunks (found at the deli counter)
• 3/4 to 1 cup blanched spinach, chopped

• 1 cup fresh heavy cream
• 1/2 cup water

• ground pepper flakes for topping (optional)

After you've cut and prepped all the ingredients, start a large pot of boiling water to cook the pasta.  After the water comes to a boil, add pasta and stir gently.  Cook uncovered over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until tender to the bite.

While you're waiting for the fettuccine to cook.  In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat, cook onion and garlic cloves in butter until they are tender, 5 minutes.  Do NOT let the onions and garlic turn brown, lower the heat if you need to; you just want them tender.

Add in the flour, pepper and salt.  Stir constantly, removing any dry flour lumps and cook flour for up to 3 to 4 minutes.  The longer you cook the flour the better the sauce will taste.  Stir in the turkey chunks and chopped spinach, making sure to coat them with the cooked flour.

Reduce the heat to a medium-low and slowly add in the heavy cream.  It will become a thick sauce very quickly so start by adding half of the water to thin the sauce.  If you think it is still too thick (we don't want gravy, only a creamy sauce) add the remaining water.  When the sauce is heated through, remove from heat.  Do NOT bring the sauce to a boil.  Heavy cream will curdle, that's not pretty or creamy.

The pasta should be tender by now; drain off the water, then transfer pasta to a large serving bowl.  Pour the creamy spinach and turkey sauce over the pasta and toss until everything is well coated.  The sauce will thicken up even more, and adhere to the pasta if you allow it a couple of minutes to set before serving.  Allow each person to season their dish with ground pepper flakes if they wish.

OH! and  Swirly Peanut Butter Brownies taste GREAT after this meal.

Pasta with Red Bell Pepper and Mexican Zucchini

I picked up a few Mexican zucchinis the other day.  They're the ones that look like a fat zucchini with a lighter green skin.  Mexican zucchini have a much milder flavor than the darker skin variety.

HERE'S ALL I DID

• fettuccine for four
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Mexican zucchini, grated
• 2 peperoncini peppers, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
• crumbled feta cheese or parmesan
• red pepper flakes (for an optional bit of heat)

While waiting for the pasta water to come to a boil, prep the vegetables.  Right before it's time to cook the pasta, heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan of medium heat.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and set the timer for the recommended time on the package.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the fry pan and cook until onion begins to soften.  Add zucchini, peperoncini peppers, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, cook for up to 5 minutes or until the timer goes off.  The vegetables are better with a little bite to them.

After the pasta is cooked and drained off, toss it together with the vegetables, drizzle a little olive oil on top, then add crumbled feta or parmasan cheese.  Save the red pepper flakes for folks to add themselves.

You're ready to eat! This recipe is very good the next day for lunch, too.