Sausage Pasta

A quick pasta dish loaded with sausage and vegetables: what's not to like?

I subscribe to All Recipes by email which means I get a new recipe daily.  Most I don't find interesting, but some are worthy of a go. This was one of those.

There were a couple of things I changed: links vs "regular" sausage as the store was out and upping the quantity of sausage because it just so happened that links are more than a pound packaged, using fresh instead of frozen spinach because it's just as easy and not so soggy, increase the liquid reducing time by 10 minutes because I don't like soupy food, and skipping the cheese just because I forgot to buy it.

Sausage Pasta

adapted from AllRecipes

3/4 lb pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1-1.25 lb spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped fresh spinach
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.

In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Drain fat.

Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.

Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes to slightly reduce. Add spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender.

Add pasta to skillet and combine with spinach and sausage.

Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.


This dish turned out to be a good one as I enjoy a spicy sausage with pasta especially when fresh vegetables are in the mix. I also liked that the dish was ready to eat in about 45 minutes and was not difficult to prep for or complete. Also the majority of ingredients are pretty much common items, and for some, possibly completely pantry items.

As this dish was similar to the Chickpea, Sausage and Kale Pasta, I couldn't help but make comparisons. Personally, I prefer the Kale Pasta, but that in no way means I am opposed to doing this dish again!

Turns out that if budgeting is critical, Sausage Pasta is more economical than the Kale Pasta.

Cost:

• pasta: $1
• sausage: $1.99
• onion: $0.18
• broth: $0.21
• tomatoes: $0.80
• spinach: $1.59

Total: $5.77, but I'll round up to $6 to include garlic and other seasonings, bringing each of 6 servings to $1 each.

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