You can never have too many back pocket recipes that come together in mere minutes and satisfy all your dinner cravings, am I right? This Italian sausage spinach pasta recipe is INCREDIBLE on all counts.

I am not really a creature of habit when it comes to food – I try and keep things fresh and I am generally testing recipes for clients and projects (such as the cookbook I am co-authoring, eeeeeek!) so there are usually many different things going on in my kitchen.

Spinach Pasta Recipe with Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers

Here goes:

1) I love to make no-recipe dishes like tacos, nachos and ‘bowls’ using grains/tortilla chips/riced cauliflower, whatever meat I have, some veggies and greens, cheese (#Wisconsin) and extras like avocado, olives, etc.  My husband never gets sick of nachos or tacos (who would?) so it’s how we do.  I’m also a big fan of making cauliflower fried rice, but I haven’t posted a recipe yet (do you want it?!).

2) I love complete one-pot meals that are 30 minutes or less (including SOUP) that can be tossed in containers and reheated for lunches during the week.  A few examples: Maple Mustard Salmon with Roasted Broccoli, Asian-Style Pork Meatballs, Orecchiette, Brussels Sprouts & Sausage Skillet, Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup, and Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps, to name a few.

3) I also love no-cook meals that I can whip up for lunch or even dinner, like this Mediterranean Chickpea & Tuna Salad, these Greek Chicken Bowls, these Curried Turkey Salad Lettuce Cups and this Grown-Up Egg Salad.

For this recipe, I was rummaging through the fridge and found a few things: a couple of turkey Italian sausage links, a half a bag of spinach, and red bell pepper. 

What can I pair with spinach pasta?

I was in the mood for pasta (as usual), so I grabbed a box of Barilla Protein Plus (always on hand), and tossed half a box of it in some boiling water to get started. 

While that cooked, I removed the sausage from the casing and sauteed it with the spinach, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil, then I added a bit of the pasta water to make a silky sauce, tossed in the pasta with some Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and s/p. 

Once it was all stirred together and super delicious, I bowled it up and topped it with some fresh parm, parsley, and a bit more pepper.

Voila – sort of a no-recipe dinner that was absolutely delicious with plenty of veggies, complex carbs, healthy fats and lots of protein.  I was satisfied and super happy after eating this meal, so I figured I’d share it with you! 

Remember, there can never be too many back pocket recipes, and this is one of ’em.

I hope you love it.

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