Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes and Mushrooms (Take 2)

In an effort to clean out the refrigerator and use up a lot of leftover vegetables, I threw this fave pasta dish together. But tonight, I ran out of tomatoes (thought I had more) and my husband suggested tomato paste, so I threw that in, along with more vegetables. . so voila! Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms and Tomatoes (Take 2). My husband thinks this one tastes better. I certainly think the tomato paste helps to brighten up the dish. Hope you give this one a try!

FUSILLI PASTA WITH SPINACH, MUSHROOMS AND TOMATOES

Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb Fusilli pasta
½ to 1 lb. of lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of crushed garlic
½ cup of chicken stock
1 bag of baby spinach
1 cup onion; chopped
½ cup bell pepper; chopped (whatever you have- red, orange, yellow)
1-2 cup of cherry tomatoes or roma or any tomato (add as much as you prefer)
2-4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1-2 cups of mushrooms (cremini or white mushrooms; whatever you have)
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash and cut all of the vegetables; set aside
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet or wok, over medium high heat, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and cook the ground beef.
After the ground beef is browned and cooked, (feel free to disgard any fat; we do) add the chicken stock, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and all of the vegetables. (For the spinach, I literally just throw the entire bag straight in)
Add the tomato paste, mix and season with salt and pepper to taste
Gently toss ingredients together until the spinach is wilted and all of the vegetables are cooked through
Add the pasta and gently toss some more
Season with salt and pepper (again if needed)
Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and serve! SERVE IMMEDIATELY