Hearty Sausage and Spinach Pasta

The colder it gets around here, the more I want some filling to put in my tummy… But sometimes I just don’t have a lot of time to do some of my favorites. So the search was on for me to find a recipe that would take under 30 minutes to make, and still leave me full. This pasta is just that a filling, warm dish that takes 20 minutes, and only uses two pans/pots. Perfect for those busy week nights, when you don’t feel like cooking or cleaning.

Ingredients

Linguini- 1 package

Roasted Red peppers- 1 ¼ cup (sliced) Save 2 tbsp of the juices

Parmesan Cheese- ¼ cup (grated)

Parmesan Cheese- ¼ cup (shaved)

Italian Sausage- 10 ounces (spicy or mild) feel free to use Turkey sausage

Garlic- 1 tbsp (minced)

Salt & Pepper- to taste

Baby Spinach- 4 ounces

Olive Oil- 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Pine nuts- 2 tbsp (toasted)

Crushed Red Pepper- 1 tsp (optional)

Method to the Madness

1)      Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with some Olive oil and Salt & pepper and set aside.

2)      Break the sausage into bits sized pieces. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat cook sausage until cooked through, toss in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the peppers and 2 tbsp of the juices. Reduce by half.

Add the pasta and pasta liquid and toss, cooking for 30-40 seconds. Add the spinach and Parmesan mix well, season with salt & pepper. Plate and garnish with shaved Parmesan and pine nuts.

4)      ENJOY!!