Sausage, Bacon, Spinach Spaghetti Bake

This dish is a spin off of another dish I made last week called "Cheesy Tortellini Spinach, Sausage, & Bacon Casserole".  I didn't have any tortellini, so I used spaghetti instead.  This is not a low-carb dish, has plenty of fat & flavor.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz package dried spaghetti (you can really use any pasta and if you're gluten free, use a rice pasta)
• 1 1/2 lb kielbasa sausage, cut into medium chunks
• 1/2 lb maple bacon, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and roots cut out
• 3 Tbspns flour (or coconut flour)
• 2-3 cups 2% milk (or you can use goat's milk, almond milk, coconut milk here)
• sea salt & ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Cook spaghetti according to directions on package.  Once cooked, drain and put in a large stainless steel (or glass) bowl.

• Cook bacon until it's half cooked on medium high heat.
• Add kielbasa to bacon and cook until sausage is browned.  Don't overly stir, as my husband likes it fairly browned.
• Add onions & garlic.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent.
• Using a slotted spoon, take meat & veggies mixture out and into the same bowl with the cooked spaghetti.

I put this in a pan first.  I really should've put it in my large stainless bowl.

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• If there is a lot of bacon grease, remove some of it to your reserve bacon grease jar (I keep bacon grease in glass jars in the frig for when I want to use bacon grease or have that bacon flavor in my foods.  Far better than buying lard at the store.).
• Add the flour to the remaining grease in the skillet.  Stir.  It should be forming a thick paste.

• Gradually add the milk and keep stirring.  If it's too clumpy, add more milk until it's the thick, liquidy consistency that you can pour.
• Season with salt & pepper.
• Add chopped fresh spinach to the sauce, stirring occasionally.  A large bunch of spinach will wilt almost to very little spinach.

• Pour over spaghetti & meat mixture.
• Using tongs or a pasta utensil, mix all the ingredients well, but not overly mixed as to break up the noodles.

• Put in a 13x9 casserole dish.  
• Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 20 min.
• Remove from oven and if you'd like, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley (I didn't have any and just left it out).