Turning Deals Into Meals - Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Bacon Linguini

Tonight's dinner was an on the fly, from my head concoction, made in an effort to use up some ingredients that have been hanging out in the fridge for a while. 

The final creation was linguini with bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, and cream. It was an easy meal to toss together, and I actually did some of the prep work earlier in day (while baby napped), making dinner time a breeze. 

Ingredients:

2 onions, thinly sliced

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 bag spinach

1/2 cup cream (I used 1/4 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup skim milk)

1/2 package pasta of your choice (I used linguini)

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

• Bake six slices of bacon at 400 degrees for just over 10 minutes (thicker slices will need longer). Be sure to line the baking sheet with foil - easier clean up! After the bacon has cooled, crumble it, and put in the fridge until ready to prepare meal. Reserve ~ 1 tablespoon of bacon fat for later use.

• Wilt 3/4  to 1 bag of spinach. Add spinach to a hot skillet with a small amount of water. Cover and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Drain spinach, squeeze to remove excess water. Transfer to a dish and refrigerate until ready to prepare meal. 

• Thinly sliced two onions. Add olive oil a large frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add onions and cook at least 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow onions to brown - until they look like this...  

• Cover onions and refrigerate until ready to prepare meal.

When ready to eat...

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
• Heat large frying pan over medium heat. Add rendered bacon fat (or other fat of your choice).
• Add bacon, spinach, and onions to skillet. Stir to warm.
• Add cream and pasta, stir. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. 
• Plate and top with a small amount of parmesan cheese.

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