Florentine Italian Sausage Pasta is a quick and spicy favorite in our house, especially when time is a factor. With school around the corner, this will be back on our menu of choices for sure! If you are lucky enough to have any of it leftover, take it to work for a lunch envied by your coworkers. I am hoping that my niece, who is spinach-challenged will give this one a try to help her taste the glory of all those nutrients: folate, vitamin E and vitamin K .
Florentine refers to food prepared in the style of the Italian region around Florence. Spinach is a featured ingredient. In most cases, the meat, fish or poultry are usually placed over a bed of spinach with a Mornay sauce, which is a béchamel sauce with gruyere and parmesan cheese. I’ve never made Mornay sauce, but I can make a béchamel, one of the 5 mother sauces. Perhaps someday I will add that to my list of specialties. However, for now, it’s all about a simple dinner.
Now, if you don’t like spinach, feel free to substitute kale or some broccoli rabe. Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe post shows more details of this alternative. Pin and share that too! Below is a picture, minus cheese and red pepper flakes, using campanelle pasta. Any pasta that can hold the bits of flavor would be perfect.!
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 servings
- 1 pound Italian Sausage, mild or hot, your preference (See note below).
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 pound of pasta, your choice
- 1 T. salt
- 10 oz. baby spinach ( 2-5 oz. containers)
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Basil Chiffonade
- Parmesan Cheese
- Place oil in skillet preheated to medium-low heat.
- Add garlic, stirring until fragrant and light golden in color.
- Add in the sausage, without casings, and chop until crumbled and no longer pink.
- While sausage is cooking, heat water with salt to boiling point.
- One minute before al dente time is reached for chosen pasta, add spinach to pasta.
- Reserve one cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Drain pasta and spinach; add into skillet with sausage.
- Stir to evenly distribute pasta and spinach; slowly add in reserved pasta water and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired, along with basil and grated parmesan.
Mouth watering…