A Week of Dinners #3: Spinach Alfredo with Meatballs

I deviated from our normal Tuesday night dinner just for you this week. Normally we have noodles with pasta sauce and occasionally some browned ground meat, as it's Craft Group Night and I was doing yoga before. But I decided to whip something a little more original and tastier for the Week of Dinners.

Spinach Alfredo with Meatballs
Meatballs
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1 slice bread, torn into small pieces
• 1 egg
• couple shakes of Pasta Seasoning (something with basil & oregano in it for sure)
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Pasta
• egg noodles (for 2 of us, we used half the bag)
• 3 cups baby spinach, snipped smaller
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, whole
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• salt, for pasta water

Sauce
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs flour
• approx 1/2 cup milk (I start small and continue until it looks like enough sauce for the noodles)
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup parmesan (like Kraft)
• Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste

1) Sauté onions until tender in oil, approx 10 minutes. Add garlic and spinach and sauté until spinach is nice and wilted, approx 5 minutes. Set aside.
2) Meanwhile bring salted water to boil. At rolling boil, add noodles and cook to desired tenderness. Drain and set aside.
3) Form meatballs by combining all ingredients except oil and creating small balls about the size of super balls (they cook faster).
4) Pan fry meatballs in same skillets as you sauté the veggies, you may not need the reserved oil.
5) In your pasta pot (or a smaller one if you have it clean, unlike me), melt butter. Then whisk in flour until all incorporated. Let cook for a couple minutes while whisking.
6) As the rue begins to darken, whisk milk in slowly, making sure the rue distributes.
7) Once you have all your milk in (and it should be watery), whisk parmesan in slowly to thicken the sauce.
8) Add your salt, pepper, and fresh parmesan. Whisk until combined. Add noodles and toss until coated.
9) Plate noddles, top with veggies and a couple meatballs. Enjoy!

It really isn't as complicated as it seems. I promise.

Don't expect these gourmet dinners from me every night, but I couldn't bear to say boil noodles, drain, open jar, warm & eat. When this is done in less than an hour, and tastes 3000% better. Especially when I know what Thursday night brings.