Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper
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 ½ cups water
- 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces about 3 1/2 cups penne pasta
- 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Notes
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).