Farfalle with Pork, Zucchini and Spinach

When it came to last night's dinner, my fridge was pretty empty. It was looking like I was going to have to sneak in another vegetarian meal, when I remembered there was some ground pork in the freezer.


I have no idea why I bought it. I began eating pork about 2 years just to try to give myself some extra options (I mean how much chicken can a person eat?) but I usually only eat tenderloin. I don't eat pork sausage or bacon or the fatty cuts. But it's what I had, and by combining it with the meager selection of veggies I had and some pasta, it became a delicious dinner!


I didn't want to do a tomato based sauce, and I didn't want anything too rich or creamy, so I decided I'd do a light beef broth based sauce. I rarely use beef broth, so I keep beef bouillon for when I do need it. In the middle of making this, I discovered the jar was empty. (Why on earth did I put it back empty??) So I made it with chicken broth and added a good bit of worcestershire, which worked nicely. We added our crushed red pepper flakes at the table, since its not a toddler friendly spice, but you could add it to the dish while cooking. This was a breeze to make and really yummy.


1/2 lb. mini farfalle
1 lb. lean ground pork
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp dried basil
fresh ground pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
5 oz. (1/2 pkg) of frozen spinach
red pepper flakes, for serving
shredded parmesan, for serving

1. Cook pasta, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown pork along with onion, zucchini, peppers and garlic, until pork is no longer pink. Drain any fat.
3. Add broth, worcestershire, basil and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
4. Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions. Drain well.
5.. Remove about a 1/4 cup of broth from pan and put into a small container with a tight-fitting lid. Add cornstarch, shake to blend, and return to pan. Turn heat up and bring to a boil.
6. Once slightly thickened, add pasta and spinach. Mix well.
7. Top each serving with desired amount of red pepper flakes and parmesan.