Monday Meal, Sorted

Usually I have my weekly menus all planed and ready to go by Sunday evening.  But Monday around noon I realized after a weekend of munching on leftovers, hummus, pita chips, and pizza, we were left with nothing in the fridge and no plan of attack for the night, let alone the rest of the week! Taking quick stock of the few odds and ends between the fridge, freezer and pantry I tried to make sense of what my meal options were. 

Then I remembered a recipe I had recently pinned to my "Dish Delish" Pinboard on Pinterest.  A pasta dish with a creamy sauce made from mascarpone.  Mascarpone is a mild Italian triple cream cheese which can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  

On hand I had:

Chicken Breast and Bacon

(I always keep chicken and bacon in the freezer!)

Sundried Tomatoes

Spinach

a Lemon

& Pasta

So off to the store I went to grab a tub of mascarpone and I decided button mushrooms would be a good addition as well. Oh, and I added bacon too; no surprise there right?!  I love taking a recipe like this and adding my own twist. This dish was so easy and came together in a snap!  The mascarpone melted into a creamy sauce and I added a generous portion of fresh grated parmigiana as well. There is always room for more cheese! Monday night dinner sorted.

Below is the recipe I borrowed from www.italianfoodforever.com to create my own quick Monday pasta dish.  I've indicated my additions and changes in orange. 

1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese At Room Temperature

Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon

1 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cleaned Of Fat And Cut Into 1 Inch Dice

4-5 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I omitted the olive oil and cooked my chicken and garlic in left over bacon grease)

2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced

1 box of button mushrooms sliced or quartered (your choice!)

Salt & Pepper

1/3 Cup Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 (9 Ounce) Bag Baby Spinach 

1 (500 Gram) Package Pasta

1/3 cup of grated parmigiana 

Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, parmigiana, and pepper in a bowl, and whisk to combine, set aside.

Fry bacon in pan till crisp, drain on paper towels and crumble when cool.

Bring a pasta pot of salted water to boil. While waiting on the water, in same pan as used to cook bacon saute the chicken in remaining grease until it is cooked through and just beginning to brown. Remove chicken piece and set aside. Add mushrooms to pan saute until soft an most of the liquid has cooked off. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, and set over medium heat. Stir in the mascarpone and lemon mixture, the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. Loosen the sauce with about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and toss all over the ingredients together until the spinach has wilted and everything is piping hot, adding a little additional pasta water if needed. Serve immediately, topped with grated cheese or sauteed breadcrumbs.