Vapiano Inspired Spinach and Bacon Lardons Pasta

One of my friends introduced me to the joys that lies in a meal from Vapiano! 

I had a Spinach and King Prawn Pasta which was lush! 

                 

Ever since I went to Vapiano I've been planning my return but in the mean while I thought I'd improvise at home and make a meal inspired by my visit.

So here is a quick recipe for a Spinach and Lardons Pasta (didn't have any king prawns at home so lardons it was)! 

So here is the end result of my meal and I must say all the family throughly enjoyed it! 

                          

                          

Ingredients: 

500g Pasta (I used Fusilli pasta and I used a lot of pasta because I was cooking for the family :)..so you may need more or less...mine fed 5)

                         

Spinach (100g) 

                         

Mozzarella cheese 

                          

Philadelphia  3-4 spoons

                           

Milk (semi skimmed)  - Half a pint

                           

Bacon lardons (You can use Chicken or Prawns instead)

Sunflower Oil (4 Table Spoons)

All purpose seasoning, mixed herbs, garlic, chilli seasoning.

Bay leaves

Sea Salt

Lets start cooking...

Boil some pasta (whilst you are cooking the rest keep your eye on the pasta and drain once cooked)

First of all add 4 table spoons of an oil of your choice and a thin slice of butter into your pot, after a few seconds add the lardons in to the pot and lightly fry (ensure you stir every few seconds to avoid it sticking)

Once you can see the lardons have fried add a quarter of half a pint of milk to the pot. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes and then add spinach into the pot.

Stir the spinach in the pot for a minute or two and then add the seasoning (garlic, all purpose, thyme, chillies etc)

Add 3 tablespoons of Philadelphia to the pot and stir in gently.

Stir in well

Make sure you taste the sauce and add more seasoning if you need to.

 At this point I added a bit more milk just to liquidise the sauce a bit more

                                       Add the cooked pasta into the pot and stir in gently

At this point you may find the spinach bunches together and causes an issue with distribution. Just take a fork and separate the chunks.

Once the sauce has been stirred in well. Its time to grab the cheese! (You don't have to use Mozzarella but its my favourite!) 

Add the cheese with a splash of water too and stir in. It will become quite sticky now but keep stirring.

Taste and add more seasoning if needed

Serve with BBQ chicken drumsticks or grilled salmon

                           

Tuck in x