Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Cream

In process

Finished product

Inspiration:
Cara Brunetti Hillyard
Featured in Bon Appétit, January 2006

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage (casings removed, if necessary)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1 14.5-ounce diced tomatoes with liquid
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound whole wheat corkscrew or farfalle pasta
  
• Optional: 1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil
  and/or freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
  
• Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add onion, spinach and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer.
  
• Add tomatoes and cream.
  
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
  
• Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot.
  
• Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry.
  
• Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Tim's Rating:7/10 (doesn't like chunky meat sauce)
Liz's Rating: 9/10