The holidays are here! While I always enjoy baking all the cookies and planning lavish dinner parties, the holidays can also be a stressful time. So rather than share a complex holiday recipe, I figured I’d share an easy pasta with sausage, mushrooms and spinach that is perfect to relax with when all the guests are gone!
When it comes to pasta, sometimes the simpler is really better. Just some fresh ingredients, butter and cheese can really be all you need for a delicious and comforting dish. And this pasta has just that – healthy and fresh vegetables, flavorful sausage, a touch of spice, and a buttery white wine sauce. Bonus points that it comes together really quickly too!
This simple pasta starts with some sweet turkey sausage. I like using turkey sausage to keep things healthier, and the sweet version balances well with the rest of the earthy and spicy ingredients. You can certainly use hot sausage, or any other kind you prefer, as long as it will crumble.
After you brown the sausage, add in your aromatics of shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes, followed by the earthy mushrooms. I like to use shiitake, but any mushrooms you like would work. Maitake mushrooms would be awesome here as well!
Then it’s time to make the very simple white wine sauce. Pour in the wine and simmer until it’s reduced by about half. This is important so that you don’t get an overwhelming uncooked wine flavor in your dish (which is good for drinking, but not so good for your pasta!). The sauce gets nice and creamy with the addition of butter, parmesan and a little bit of the cooking liquid from the pasta.
Finally, add in your cooked pasta and some spinach to wilt. The spinach is a great way to sneak in more veggies and also enhance the earthiness from the mushrooms. Kale would also work well here too if you like a heartier green.
And that’s it! A complete meal full of veggies and flavor that comes together within 20 minutes. It’s perfect for an easy midweek meal when you need a break from hosting, but it’s also impressive enough to have for a relaxing dinner party. Either way, it will certainly relieve some stress during the holidays!
Want to make this with some homemade pasta? Learn how to make it here!
Wine Pairings for Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Spinach
- Chianti: Italian food and Chianti seem to go hand in hand, but especially with dishes featuring sweet sausage. The tart Chianti will balance well with the spice, while the hints of berry and clove will bring out the sweetness.
- Beaujolais: Since this pasta has a light white wine sauce, it’s important not to pick a wine that will overwhelm the flavors in the dish. A low tannin and low alcohol Beaujolais will instead complement the spice and earthiness of the dish perfectly.
Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Spinach
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
A simple and easy pasta with healthy and fresh vegetables, flavorful sausage, a touch of spice, and a buttery white wine sauce.
Ingredients
- ½ pound orecchiette or cavatelli pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 links sweet turkey sausage (about 4 ounces)
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta but save ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown on all sides while breaking it up with a spoon.
- Add the shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms in and sauté until the sausage and mushrooms are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
- Add in the cooked pasta and spinach. Stir to combine until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat and mix in the butter, parmesan, and some of the pasta water until butter is melted and the sauce is creamy. Add in the rest of the pasta water if needed. Enjoy!
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
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