Spinach Alfredo Sauce

As Italians, my family members are constantly eating pasta.  My mother and I love pasta so much, but unfortunately for us, my dad is not a fan of white sauce.  Every time I get a chance to experiment with sauces, I try amping up the basic white sauce, and my favorite experiment so far has been adding spinach and garlic to it!  Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, diced or crushed
1/2-1 cup spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in flour and mix into a paste over medium heat.  Stir continuously, making sure it does not brown, then add milk.  Whisk continuously, making sure mixture does not lump.  Add in salt and pepper to taste, and let it simmer.
2. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil and saute garlic.  Add spinach until thoroughly cook.
3. Once the sauce is thick, add spinach and garlic, and Parmesan cheese.  Mix and enjoy!

This makes a great sauce for pasta, but it’s also super great over veggies or meat.  I baked some chicken and ate it with the sauce, and it really made a great difference!