Spinach and Feta Pasta

On a hot Summer night, I love making pasta with mozzarella, basil and fresh tomato. But we'd had that a few times already, and needed to spice it up a bit. So I decided to use Feta instead and add some spinach and garlic too. The end result was delicious, easy, and cheap. I like to use Rigatoni, but any shaped pasta will work just fine with this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package Rigatoni (or any shape) pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large tomato, chopped in 1 inch pieces
  
• 3 cups spinach leaves, packed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces feta cheese (I buy the block of feta and cut it into small pieces, since the crumbled feta just sort of disintegrates)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is tender and garlic is browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium low and add tomatoes, stirring until just heated through and barely cooked.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
3. Return pasta to pot, and add spinach mixture. Toss to combine. Add feta, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and allow to steam (don't bother turning on the burner, the pasta will retain enough heat to melt the cheese) until cheese is melty.