One Pot Wonder: Drunken Pasta with Baby Spinach, Dried Cranberries & Goat Cheese

This is a one pot recipe that is quick, easy and will make you look like a 5 star chef!

Reading other food blogs is a constant source of inspiration. I get to see trends, what people are loving and as I see these trends I immediately get a spark of what I can do with it. Reading Joanne Eats Well with Others, I saw a one pot pasta recipe and thought, wow- this actually works?! I had an immediate flash of inspiration when I saw it- I remembered something else I had heard of and wanted to try- drunken pasta! Pasta cooked in red wine, lending color and flavor to the pasta- how could this be bad?

Have I told you of my love affair with pasta? I am half Italian- so yeah it's a given I would love it. But years ago pasta didn't love me back. I ate it by the plateful, those were my heavy years. I don't believe in cutting out food groups, so now I eat pasta responsibly. Recovering pasta addict here- I still to this day measure 1 cup of pasta. I also add vegetables to my pasta dishes whenever possible to fill me up and make it a complete meal. A complete meal should always have some carbohydrates, protein and veggies- those are the basics.

Well this recipe is naughty and nice at the same time. You got pasta, (not too bad), then you get it all drunk (getting naughty up in here), some fresh baby spinach (good girl), dried cranberries (moderately naughty) and some goat cheese (naughty buy tastes so nice). This is generally the way I like to do it. I try and have a nutritionally well rounded meal that will have you coming back for more!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This is pure magic, besides being ridiculously gorgeous it is so delicious and it's easy. You are gonna have friends over and wanna impress them- this bitch right here is a show stopper. I mean red pasta- beautifully red with the wine flavor cooked right into those long strands of spaghetti, just a bit of butter makes it slightly creamy with the slight bitterness of the spinach, intense sweet and tart of the cranberries and that creamy-licios goat cheese. It is so simple and well-balanced, but will make you seem all fancy and shit. Best part- at the end of he night you have only one pot to wash!!

What you need

2 cups Merlot
1.5 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
8 oz. Spaghetti
1/2 cup red onions
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup cranberries
2 cups fresh baby spinach

How to make it

1- Add Merlot, water, salt, spaghetti and red onions into a medium sized pot on medium/high heat.

2- once it starts boiling turn down the heat to medium so water won't boil over. 

3- cook about 15-20 minutes or until just about all the liquid is gone.

4- Add the butter, still until melted. Add fresh baby spinach and stir until it is slightly wilted. Just a little I like my spinach as fresh as possible. 

5- Once contents if pot has cooled add in goat cheese and dried cranberries.

Done! Enjoy this and let me know whatcha think!