WTF Wednesday Meal: Creamy Spinach and Sausage Pasta

We know; Wednesdays are normally reserved for Kids in the Kitchen posts. But sometimes you have a week so random, you have to ask yourself: W.T.F. That pretty much sums up life recently in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen.

Dig if you will the picture. We took our trusty Honda CRV in for a standard oil change: only to find out the car was in dire need of new tires and a new battery. Ugh. The weather here has been below zero, and the roads have been glare ice. And the CRV sojourns everywhere from Chicago, Illinois to Madison, Wisconsin: making a battery and tires not really optional purchases. Thus resulted in a drive across town at 5pm for new tires. After dropping off the CRV and choking on the price of new tires; the idea of getting take out wasn't realistic. It was more fiscally responsible to go home and cook dinner. Damn you, fiscal responsibility!

But, we had a recipe for a one-pot meal that was hearty and sounded delicious. And, it took us less than 30 minutes to make the entire meal- from start to finish.

Creamy Spinach and Sausage Pasta

• 6 oz. smoked sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
• 1 whole green onion

Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.

 

Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

 

Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.

 

Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.

 

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!

 

Recipe courtesy of www.budgetbytes.com

 

Test Kitchen Notes:

We were STARVING when we made this, and decided to double the recipe. We had everything we needed, except for an additional can of tomatoes. We raided the fridge and cupboard, and found a jar of salsa. We added it, and found it added a nice kick to the recipe. This recipe is VERY forgiving- as long as you have enough liquid to adequately cook the pasta.

 

We are always counting calories; and found that smoked chicken sausage was an excellent substitution. It didn't take away from the overall flavor of the dish.

 

Here's to a far less WTF 2014!

 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew