Pasta with Pumpkin, Sausage and Spinach

Get ready because your family is going to love this!  Everyone at our table, including Grandma and a picky-eater friend our daughter had over, ate 2 bowls of this delicious supper.
 
Turkey sausage, rotini pasta, spinach in a pumpkin sauce with sage and nutmeg form a mouth-watering combination.  Serve with Pamesan cheese and it's perfection in a bowl.  The leftovers are even better.

This cooks up in a flash, so it's perfect for a week night meal after a busy day.  If you can make spaghetti, you can make this easy meal.  If you can pop a pre-made convenience meal in the microwave, you can make this meal.  As Roni from Green Lite Bites says, you don't even have to tell anyone there's pumpkin in it.  I'll be making this again and again and it's now added to our rotation of family favourite meals.

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN, SAUSAGE AND SPINACH
from Green Lite Bites

1 small onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic diced
1 package of mild Italian sausage (I used homemade turkey sausage)
1 15oz can of chicken broth (I used homemade)
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1/4 cup of non fat greek yogurt (I used plain yogurt)
1 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
8 oz whole wheat fusilli pasta
About 1/3 of a bag of fresh baby spinach leaves

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While waiting for the the water to boil, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray it with non-stick spray and brown the sausage with the onion and garlic.  Once brown, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Lower to medium and add the pumpkin, yogurt, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything. Keep on medium until the sauce begins to boil again then lower to a simmer.

By this time the pasta should be done. Drain and add to the skillet with the pumpkin and sausage. Stir to coat and combine everything. Add the spinach and stir in until it wilts.

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to
Ultimate Recipe Swap Thursdays over at Life As Mom
Family Friendly Fridays over at Mommie Cooks!

Enjoy! (I know you will)

from the book "Let's Think About Time"

written by Jane Hart

illustrated by Judy Varga

1965, Hart Publishing Company

I purchased this book from a local thrift shop.

Recipe: Shrimp Tomatoe Pasta with Pine Nuts

I started with this recipe from My Recipes then made some adjustments after reading how bland it was.  I added tomatoes, garlic and parmesan cheese and it was fantastic.  We love shrimp and the pasta quickly absorbed all the delicious tomatoe cream sauce.  The pine nuts really made this dish interesting with their nutty flavour and subtle crunch.

SHRIMP TOMATOE PASTA WITH PINE NUTS
8 ounces uncooked whole wheat linguini 
12 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup 1% low-fat milk, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbsp dried basil
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add pasta; cook 7 minutes.
While pasta cooks, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add nuts to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup milk and flour in a large saucepan, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Place pan over medium heat; gradually stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk. Stir in mustard and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper; cook 1 minute.

Add can of tomatoes, garlic and shrimp and cook shrimp is pink.  Add drained pasta mixture, cheese, and chopped basil, tossing gently to combine. Sprinkle with nuts and torn basil.

Printable Recipe

Happily submiteed to the Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life As Mom where she's featuring Nuts & Seeds this week.

 

Enjoy!

from the book "Barney Bipple's Magic Dandelions"

by Carol Chapman

pictures by Steven Kellogg

1977, E.P. Dutton