Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

This is perfect for those busy weekday nights where you're scrambling to get a healthy meal on the table.

And, all of the ingredients are easy to switch out depending on what you have on hand and your family's personal preferences:

• Sausage could be chicken, turkey, plant-based etc.

• Pasta could be these cute little pasta cups or switched out with a gluten-free pasta or grain like quinoa or farro.

• Spinach and mushrooms could be swapped for zucchini, broccoli, brussels... that list goes on.

Whatever you choose, dinner will be on the table in under 30 minutes!

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta

• 16 ounces sausage of choice

• 1 package sliced mushrooms (or mushrooms of choice)

• 1 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 yellow onion chopped)

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 cup dry white wine (or unsalted chicken/veggie stock)

• 3 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil optional

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste

Directions:

• Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

• Meanwhile, crumble sausage meat into skillet (take it out of casings if using whole sausages) and sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Then add in mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes, until sausage is cooked through and nicely browned. If there's more than about 1-2 tablespoons of fat left in the skillet, spoon out the excess, but be sure to leave some since we're not adding any extra butter or oil.

• Reduce heat to medium and stir in garlic, onion powder, and Dijon mustard. Cook for about 30 seconds.

• Pour in wine (or stock) and cook until reduced by half (about 3-4 minutes).

• Add in spinach and basil. Toss until the spinach has wilted,.

• Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add pasta to skillet and toss again.

• Season with salt & pepper as needed. If the dish needs more liquid add some of the reserved pasta water.

• Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese over top.

Thank you, Salt and Lavender for the recipe inspo!