Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining pasta. Toss drained pasta with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set aside.
- Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet/saucepan. Add chicken sausage and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, just until the shallots are softened. Turn heat to low and sprinkle in flour and cook until raw flour smell is gone, 1-2 minutes (it will be thick).
- Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream followed by all seasonings. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to Low and stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Stir in spinach, corn and basil and cook 1-2 minutes, just until spinach is wilted.
- Add pasta and toss until well coated in sauce, adding a little reserved pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes to taste.
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Chicken sausage: This spinach pasta calls for one 11-12-oz. package of sausage which is the standard size sold at most stores. If you find a package with more or less – just use more or less- this recipe is very forgiving. Look for the cooked sausage in the refrigerated section next to the ground Italian sausage links or breakfast sausage.
Swap protein: You can use ground Italian sausage but you’ll want to give it a head-start cooking before adding the tomatoes. You can also used chopped chicken, rotisserie chicken, roasted shrimp or butter garlic shrimp.
Shallot: One shallot will do the trick. One shallot is considered the entire bulb, regardless of how many cloves the bulb contains.
Bursting tomatoes: You can cook the tomatoes more or less depending on how “burst” you want them. As written, the tomatoes will be bursting to create a sauce. The timing can also vary depending on the size of your tomatoes.
Grill corn: Grease and heat grill to high heat. Lightly brush the corn all over with olive oil. Grill corn over direct heat for 10-12 minutes, turning until lightly charred on all sides, closing the lid in between rotations.
Char corn in skillet: If you don’t want to grill the corn, you can cut the kernels straight off the cob and char in the skillet. To char, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally for two minutes then reduce heat to medium-high and add the sausage and tomatoes and proceed with the recipe.
Fresh Parmesan: Use ONLY freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It is much more flavorful and melts into silky oblivion unlike powdered or pre-shredded cheese.
Make it gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten free flour in the sauce.
Storage: Spinach pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When properly stored, it is good for up to five days.
Freezer: I do not recommend freezing because the creamy sauce can break and become a funny texture. If you want to try freezing, use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream and omit the Parmesan.
Microwave: Microwave for one minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30 second intervals until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of milk to add some creaminess back.
Stove: For larger portions, reheat pasta on the stove. You may need to add a splash of milk to thin the sauce as it will have thickened in the refrigerator.
Pasta: Cook the pasta al dente (don’t overcook!), drain with cool water and toss with a drizzle of oil to prevent it from sticking together. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Vegetables: Grill the corn and cut off the cob.
Aromatics: Mince the garlic, chop the shallots, chop the basil.
Cheese: Grate the Parmesan.