Cheesy Beef & Spinach Pasta

The first recipe I'm posting is one that my son Logan and I invented tonight. We're in the middle of moving right now and the pantry is a little bare, so we scrounged around and worked with what we had. 

Cheesy Beef & Spinach Pasta is what we came up with.....

Step 1: Fixing the Pasta

1 Box of Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta cooked al dente and drained

  (you'll have some leftover pasta- about 1 1/2 cups - for the picky eaters)

Step 2: Browning the Meat

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef browned in a skillet with 

   a Drizzle of Olive Oil (for heart healthy MUFAs)

2 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Raw Sugar (all of the dry seasonings are easily adjusted to taste)

Step 3: Heating the Cheese Sauce

16 oz Whipped Cream Cheese

5 oz Shredded (not grated) Parmesan

1/4 c heavy cream

1/4 c chopped spinach (you can either drain canned or frozen spinach, or use fresh - we used canned and served the remaining spinach as a side dish)

Shhh.....here's the secret ingredient for my white cheese sauces.....

A Sprinkle of Nutmeg

There's no need to get the cheese mixture really hot, just get it mixed well, you don't want to scald it.

Mix all the parts together and it's ready to serve. We were thinking of adding some fresh Mozzerella to top it off but a quick taste test by Logan said we didn't need more cheese. He said, and I quote, "This is the BEST thing we've made together so far."

Since kids are typically the picky ones, I asked Logan to give it a taste rating using the 5 Star scale. 

His verdict? 

4.5 Stars - because he thinks the types of cheeses we used may not appeal to the youngest family members.

I also asked him to give it a star rating based on how easy it is to cook.

He gave it 3 stars for easiness because you're working on 3 steps at once, it requires some side-by-side effort.

This recipe also passed the hubby test, I'm pleased to say.

Hope you guys enjoy it and let us know what you think.