Pasta is always a good choice when you want dinner to be easy, cheap and delicious. In this recipe, sautée sausage with spinach and chicken stock to make a flavorful base for penne pasta. Parmesan cheese stirred in at the end creates a nutty, creamy sauce. Sausage punches up the flavor even more.
This technique truly couldn't be simpler, and making it in one pot means minimal cleanup. Cooking the pasta directly in the chicken broth gives it a richer flavor, and the pasta's natural starch adds creaminess to the sauce.
One-pot sausage and spinach pasta
4
10 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 cups chicken stock
16 ounces fresh baby spinach
8 ounces penne pasta
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the sausage and 2 tablespoons of the chicken stock, and cook until browned on both sides.
Add the remaining chicken stock and the spinach. Bring to a boil.
Add the pasta, and stir.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked.
Uncover, and stir in the cheese until it has melted fully.
Serve hot.
Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese if desired.