Whenever I don't know what to make for dinner it ends up being this yummy, easy, and super-quick pasta dish. There are only 4 ingredients aside from the pasta, and it's a pretty healthy pasta dish.
One thing to say right away is that pasta is not as unhealthy as people tend to think. The problem comes in what type of sauce you decide to douse the complex carb IN. Pasta itself is actually pretty good for you as a necessary carb. But when you drench it in creamy cheese sauces you add so much fat that you're setting yourself up for failure in two ways: 1) The salty, cheesy flavor is addicting, convincing you to eat more and more and more, and 2) Obviously, you're going to gain unwanted weight. Which is why I love this dish: It's not a cheese sauce, and it has spinach in it!
Here is the easiness:
1. Brown 1 lb mild Italian sausage. If you're like me, you'll have to defrost it first. The key here is to not start the pasta until the meat is partially browned, so don't jump too quickly to get your water boiling if your meat is still sitting in the microwave. Once you've got it all chopped and sizzling, then proceed to step 2.
2. Boil water for the pasta, and cook it up. This recipe works best with about 16-18 oz pasta, so adjust accordingly. I usually get Radiatore pasta, because the shape is ideal for holding the sauce, which is more runny than thick. The original recipe called for Penne, but honestly just do whatever you like and it will taste good. I wouldn't recommend Spaghetti-ish noodles, though. Hopefully you will time things perfectly so your pasta will be done by the time your sauce is. If not, just drain it and put it in a serving dish. A BIG serving dish, because you're going to have to stir the sauce in, and I always make a mess.
3. While the past and sausage are still cooking, grate up some mozzarella cheese. We didn't have any last week and used marble cheddar (or whatever it's called in America, I always forget), and it did not taste as good. Use mozzarella.
4. In case you've never cooked with ground sausage before, this is what it should look like when it's done:
Once the sausage is browned, add 3 cans of Italian-style diced tomatoes. Last time I made it I ended up with just regular tomatoes, so I added some of my trusty Italian seasoning, which worked just fine.
5. Once the tomatoes are bubbling, add 1 bag of spinach and cover. You might want to chop the spinach first, as it will spread over the pasta better that way. You'll need to stir it in eventually, but just let it wilt for a few minutes before trying that out.
6. Once the spinach is wilted and the sauce is stirred up really good, add it to the drained pasta in your serving dish. Stir that up really good, and you're ready to go!
7. Serve the pasta, then top it with the mozzarella while everything is still hot.
Voila! Easy peasy, right? My family HATES spinach. They love this.
Shameless plug for the asparagus co-starring in this dish. Asparagus is so good!! Especially when it's free! If you have easy access to it, or if you see it for less than $2/lb, steam it up and add it to any dish for some super low-calorie deliciousness!
Some info on asparagus: Asparagus is majorly alkaline, which is awesome. Most of the foods we tend to eat are acidic, and our bodies will balance our pH however it needs to. That means that if we eat a lot of acidic foods and not enough alkaline foods, the body will leech needed nutrients and substances from itself to balance the pH. This is how you can end up with deficiencies of nutrients that you're actually eating. It's also why our meals should be balanced with fruits and vegetables, most of which are alkaline. Anyway enough about that. I'll have to find a video to post later with a better explanation.
6 spears of asparagus have 20 calories. In my mind that means it's a way better diet veggie than celery, because it taste so much better but still takes more calories to eat than it contains.
It's a great source of folate, vitamin C, and potassium. Also a great antioxidant. It just plain tastes AMAZING!
Here is the easiness:
1. Brown 1 lb mild Italian sausage. If you're like me, you'll have to defrost it first. The key here is to not start the pasta until the meat is partially browned, so don't jump too quickly to get your water boiling if your meat is still sitting in the microwave. Once you've got it all chopped and sizzling, then proceed to step 2.
4. In case you've never cooked with ground sausage before, this is what it should look like when it's done:
7. Serve the pasta, then top it with the mozzarella while everything is still hot.
Shameless plug for the asparagus co-starring in this dish. Asparagus is so good!! Especially when it's free! If you have easy access to it, or if you see it for less than $2/lb, steam it up and add it to any dish for some super low-calorie deliciousness!
Some info on asparagus: Asparagus is majorly alkaline, which is awesome. Most of the foods we tend to eat are acidic, and our bodies will balance our pH however it needs to. That means that if we eat a lot of acidic foods and not enough alkaline foods, the body will leech needed nutrients and substances from itself to balance the pH. This is how you can end up with deficiencies of nutrients that you're actually eating. It's also why our meals should be balanced with fruits and vegetables, most of which are alkaline. Anyway enough about that. I'll have to find a video to post later with a better explanation.
6 spears of asparagus have 20 calories. In my mind that means it's a way better diet veggie than celery, because it taste so much better but still takes more calories to eat than it contains.
It's a great source of folate, vitamin C, and potassium. Also a great antioxidant. It just plain tastes AMAZING!
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