Creamy pasta with Italian sausage and spinach (one pot meal, sans cream)

Cold weather season is upon us, so GIVE. ME. ALL. THE. HEARTY. FOODS!

The thing is, I also want my meal to be quick, because winter cold makes me lazy. And I'd prefer that my dinner *tastes* hearty but perhaps isn't the most unhealthy thing for me, given my non-stop cravings (see above).

What I love about this pasta dish is that it checks all the boxes above! It's a simple, a one-pot meal that's super flavorful. And to top it off, while it tastes perfectly creamy, instead of heavy whipping cream this dish uses yogurt to provide that silky and slightly tangy sauce. Win-Win-Win-Win!

No cream went into this creamy pasta

Although I don't use Italian sausage all that often in my cooking, there's just something I love about it during the winter months. See also: sausage lentil and swiss chard soup and lasagna soup with sausage and ricotta (the lasagna soup recipe is bonkers delicious).

There's also something about the hearty sausage and tomato combination that I'm super into. Add some greens and a touch of creaminess and this dish is over the top good. I made a giant batch and didn't mind eating it every day for an entire week's worth of dinner, so you know it's that good.

Overall, this dinner might be one of the best taste-to-effort-ratio meals I've made. What that means (since I know you're wondering WTF I'm talking about) is not only did this dish taste incredible, I only spent 45 minutes on it from start to finish. Plus it was a one-pot meal! So the ratio of taste to effort was super high! Maths is fun.

Action shot! Of course I had to have a side of garlicy carbs with my carbs.

Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline

Creamy pasta with Italian sausage and spinach, adapted from Elly Says Opa

Note: if you can't eat pork feel free to use beef, turkey, or no meat at all.

Ingredients
2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage (sweet or hot), removed from casings (I used mild)
1 large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (if using sweet Italian sausage)
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's Arrabiata sauce)
2 cups water
10 oz. short or medium pasta (Del Cecco is my favorite brand)
2/3 lb. spinach or chard
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino romano
3 TBSP chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Heat a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. 
2. Add sausage, breaking apart with your wooden spoon, and cook until browned. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.
3. Sauté the red pepper and onions until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (if using), and a pinch of salt and black pepper. 
4. Add back the sausage and any accumulated juices. Pour the wine into the skillet and deglaze the pan (by scraping up all those deliciously crusty bits on the bottom of the pan). 
5. Pour in the marinara sauce and 2 cups of water. Stir the pasta into the mixture. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. 
6. Simmer, mostly covered, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking, about 13 to 15 minutes. (Add more water if it seems like you need more liquid.) 
7. Stir in the spinach and wilt down for about 2 minutes. Once pasta is cooked through, remove it from the heat. 
8. Stir in the yogurt and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh basil (and more Parmesan!)