Spinach Pasta Toss

So we went back to school. And it's been rough. One of our May graduates died suddenly, giving us our third student death since May. Pray for us.

If it's not one thing, it's another. My computer crashed yesterday and I had to reformat. Feeling pretty secure that 99% of my school files were backed up on the server, I didn't panic too much. However, apparently 17 seconds after my computer crashed, our server followed suit. So everything I have done since May is gone. Since I have created two new classes since then, I am struggling to catch back up.

And, for some reason, I agreed to take back the head coach position for our cross country team. I gave it up a couple years ago when The Boy came, but they couldn't find anyone to do it.

Whew.

I need a nap :) Or a drink.

So, needless to say, I haven't been doing much in the way of cooking, cleaning or in general, anything not school related. Well, I take that back. The Girl and I have been obsessively playing Wizard 101. Have you tried that?!?

But thanks to Kraft, I am back on track for Try It Tuesday! Have you signed up for their magazine yet? Go there now.

Boil 1 cup water with 2 cups pasta and an undrained can of Italian tomatoes. Cover and let that simmer for about 10 minutes. You can use this time to start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher AND mix a drink. I'll post that one later...
The recipe calls for 9 ounces of spinach. My package was only 6, and I only used about 2/3 of it. Too much and my kids won't eat it. But add in half of what you are going to and recover.
Put it back on the burner on low until the spinach is wilted.
Stir it up, add the rest of your spinach and wilt that down.
Although the recipe did not call for it, I added in about a cup of leftover baked chicken. Because we don't eat meatless dishes in my house.
Sprinkle with Italian blend cheese and serve.
This was yummy, and except for a couple procedural problems, I will definitely put this on my rotation. I really liked the pasta cooked IN the tomatoes, it gave it an extra flavor boost.

The only problems were minor ones. Make sure you stir as the spinach wilts, or your pasta and tomatoes will become part of your pan. Also, next time, I will probably tear up the spinach a bit. It all wanted to form a ball as I stirred it in.

Other than that, this was one of my favorite recipes of late. And it was sooooo quick and easy. Definitely give this one a try.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Spinach Pasta toss
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup water
1 pkg. (9 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Italian* Three Cheese Blend
Bring tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or just until pasta is tender. Add 1/2 of spinach; simmer, covered, 2 min. or until wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach. Serve topped with cheese.