Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper

 

SAUSAGE AND SPINACH PENNE SKILLET SUPPER

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

 PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

 COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

 TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

·   1 tablespoon olive oil

·   1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed (I couldn’t find turkey sausage so I substituted mild pork sausage)

·   3 medium garlic cloves, minced finely

·   3 1/2 cups water

·   2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

·   1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine

·   1/2 teaspoon salt

·   12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta

·   1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach

·   3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·   1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and add in the sausage. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the water, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, about 15-18 minutes (if you find the liquid is absorbing too quickly and the pasta is still undercooked, add a bit more water in small amounts until the pasta is cooked thoroughly).
3. Stir in the spinach, a handful at at time, and cook until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Quantity: the original recipe only used 8 ounces of pasta. I knew that wouldn’t be enough for our family so I adapted the recipe to make a bit more. It makes for a very full skillet, but if you have a 12-inch skillet, it will still be big enough. This serves 6 easily. If you don’t want to make as much, scale down the amounts in the recipe (use 8 ounces pasta and 5 1/2 cups liquid total).