Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes and Cannelini Beans

So, truth be told, I'm still not feeling up to snuff these days and once 4 pm rolls around, firing up the stove and cooking dinner seems to turn my stomach just a bit.  But, this recipe is one of our old stanbys.  One of Brad's and my mom's too.  It is oh so easy and healthy!  You can add whatever you like to it, we just always have beans, tomatos and spinach on hand.  Actually, we have a healthy bounty of spinach in our garden this fall/winter - so spinach is always plentiful.  That is, if lizzie hasn't picked all the leaves and eaten them straight from the garden!  

1 box of your favorite pasta shape (I use Ziti)
2-3 garlic cloves
1 shallot
3 Tbs olive oil
5+ oz. spinach - whatever amount your heart desires
1 10 oz can (BPA free) fire roasted tomatos, undrained(or just plain stewed)
1 cup sundried tomatoes (oil packed), drain the oil
1 14 oz can cannelini beans
1 cup reserved pasta water
1 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or shaved)
salt and pepper to taste

I do add meat to Brad's portion.  We always have venison on hand so I brown some of the Italian sausage venison and add that to his.  I on the other hand, can happily do without meat. 

Boil pasta according to box directions.  When draining the pasta, reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water. 

In a saute pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic and shallot for 2-3 minutes.  Add washed spinach, some salt and pepper and continue to cook 3-5 minutes until wilted.  Add sundried tomatos, canned tomatos and the cannelini beans.  Heat together for a few minutes and then add your cooked pasta.  Stir.  Add parmesan cheese as well as some of the reserved pasta water just to wet the pasta.  (I usually end up using 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the water).  If you are adding meat, this is the time you would add your meat of choice.  Plate the pasta, sprinkle with some more parmesan cheese and let the individual salt and pepper to taste. 

My little Lizzie loves this dish, and to my surprise, loves the venison added to it too.  She's a meat lover it seems, just like her daddy!  I failed to take a picture of the final dish but here is a pic of the garden fresh spinach getting its water bath and a pic. of the sauteing veggies.  Meghan and Patrick had a fun night planned this evening - as I delivered dinner, they were getting ready for a date night at the movies.  Fun fun!  Hopefully this filled their bellies but not so much that they couldn't devour a movie popcorn and beverage of choice!