Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper

Remember the dish I told you about a while ago? A pasta skillet supper graced with sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, and parmesan cheese? I can easily say it is one of my favorite dinners of all time. And this dish I’m about to share with you…well, you can think of it as the first pasta dinner’s cousin. Delicious, but a bit different. Mildly spicy sausage, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes (again) and hearty spinach make up the flavors of this dish that is packed with pasta (and flavor). I’ve said it before, but I just love meals that are made exclusively in one pot or skillet and this was no exception. My family ate this up (pasta always has that effect on my kids) and it was a snap to prepare.

Sausage and Spinach Penne Skillet Supper
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**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).**

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 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta
1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS:
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 ime, and cook until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste adn serve immediately.

Recipe Source: adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes