Pesto Pasta with Spinach & Mushrooms

Last night Frank had a late night at work and to be honest, I completely forgot to plan dinner! I don't know what I was expecting to make, but it's a good thing he was a bit late so I had time to rack my brain for something to eat.

The easiest thing to eat sometimes is pasta. You just have to throw it in a boiling pot of water and wait. Drain. Rinse. Dump on some sauce from a jar. And tada! Dinner. But, the problem is, pasta and sauce can be both super lacking in nutrients and super full of acidity. Plus, I needed to find a way to use some of my produce before we head up to my parent's house for the weekend.

So, I decided to take a risk I've never taken before...wait for it...

I made my own recipe!

I have to be fair though, it's not that genius. It involves only 4 ingredients: whole wheat pasta, pesto, spinach, and mushrooms. Done.

It's really simple. Boil the water.
While you're waiting for the pot to boil, half about 1-1/2 cups button mushrooms (some I cut into thirds if they were bigger).
Once the water is boiling and you've thrown in your pasta, use about 3-4 tbsp olive oil (you can add garlic if you like it really garlicy) and saute the mushrooms.

Then, once you can tell they are starting to soften and become more golden, throw in 2 cups spinach (add more olive oil to saute if needed).
Hint: I started with just 2 big handfuls and realized once the spinach wilts it looks like nothing. Add more than you think you need.

Once the spinach has wilted remove from heat or keep on the lowest heat setting (depending on how close your pasta is to being done).

Drain and rinse your pasta.

Then, while the pasta is still steaming, stir in as much pesto as you'd like. You can buy pesto in jars in the pasta aisle. Or, if you're great at cooking (which I'm not) you can attempt a recipe for pesto from scratch. I'm sure it would taste even better!

Then, stir in the spinach and mushrooms, top with cheese if you want, and voila! Dinner is served!

There you have it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday evening! I am about to pack for a weekend at my parents' house so we can leave shortly. Frank is going snowboarding with a friend and I'm staying at my parents' house to spend time with them and my sister while she's home from school. Should be a nice, relaxing weekend for us.

What do you have planned for the weekend? 

Happy Friday!