Tonight was Pasta with Ham and Spinach Sauce...

You will need:

2 cloves garlic
4 shallots or 1 small onion (I prefer the shallots when we have them!)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil (I prefer EVOO)
1/2 pound bow tie pasta (I tend to use a pound and keep everything else the same and any pasta works!)
1 cup heavy cream (I use 1/2 cup half and half and 1/2 cup of milk)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 pound ham (canadian bacon, ham steak, whatever you like!)

Bring large pot of water to a boil

Meanwhile in food processor, mince the garlic. Add the shallots (or onion) and coarsely chop. (My preference here is to use the already minced garlic and cut the shallot/onion myself).

In a large skillet, warm the butter in the oil over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the garlic-shallot mixture and cook stirring until the shallots begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente per package directions.

Meanwhile, add the cream, broth, nutmeg and pepper to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Squeeze the spinach dry in several layers of paper towel. Increase the heat under the sauce to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir in the spinach and let the mixture return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the spinach is cooked through.

Cut the ham into whatever you like - you can dice it or cut it into match sticks.

Drain the pasta and toss with the ham and spinach sauce. (I tend to put it back in the pot and mix it there! Makes cleanup easier - unless you are serving it to company!)

This is always a huge hit around here! My kids request it frequently! We have it at least once a week around here! Tonight we used ziti...