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October 14, 2012

Rotelli with sweet italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, and creamed spinach


Searching for a dinner option that the whole family will like is always a challenge. I was really going out on a limb with this one, but I was floored when my son (who is hands-down the pickiest eater I know) went back for seconds! I found the original recipe on Carrie's Experimental Kitchen blog, but being the *winger* that I am, I had to make a few adjustments. So, here goes...

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. rotelli pasta (cooked per the packages directions).
  • 1 bag frozen chopped spinach
  • 3 TB flour
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2 TB olive oil + 1 additional olive oil for later
  • 1/4 yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 cup milk or cream
  • Salt (for creamed spinach)
  • 6 links sweet italian sausage (casings removed)
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine (I used a Chardonnay which enhanced the sweetness of the sausage)
Directions:
  1. Boil noodles per package directions. Strain when done. While boiling...
  2. To make the creamed spinach, start with your flour roux. 
  3. In a saucepan, put 2 TB olive and 1/2 stick butter until butter melts. Add flour to make a paste.
  4. Add chopped yellow onion and saute with the roux until soft.
  5. Add milk or cream.
  6. Throw in about 3/4 of the bag of frozen chopped spinach and stir until heated. Add salt to taste. Set aside. (NOTE:  You can use frozen creamed spinach, but I like making mine.
  7. In a large pot, heat 1TB olive oil
  8. Break apart the sausage into small pieces, add, and cook all the way through until there is no pink, and the outside is starting to caramelize.
  9. Add garlic, sundried tomatoes, and red onion and cook until onion starts to soften.
  10. Add about a cup of the creamed spinach to the mixture.
  11. Add chicken broth and white wine and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  12. Throw in cooked, drained pasta, toss, and enjoy.
I found that I ended up adding a little more chicken broth, and I served the extra creamed spinach on the side.

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