Tortellini with Mushrooms, Spinach and Italian Sausage
I know you guys are all gaga over one-dish dinner ideas, and I’ve got a good one for ya. Everyone devoured this, and Mike asked if there was any way it could be put into regular rotation. It seems to me the sort of thing that might make most husbands happy, if I may generalize here.
Again, my inspiration came from desperation – to use the last of two tubs of baby spinach and some mushrooms that had not quite shriveled up and died. It could have taken a handful of grape tomatoes, or some chopped red pepper; any number of wilting veg would do well here. W always begs for cheese tortellini, one of his first toddler foods that still seems toddler-ish in my mind, but not here. It came together in under 20 minutes and the result was like an upscale Hamburger Helper of sorts. It should be noted that it took less time to prepare than HH, and didn’t come out of a box, nor was it any shade of florescent orange. It fed five of us, happily.
The recipe started here, but let’s face it – I never have fennel bulbs and fronds in my house. Too licoricey. It could, however, make use of any number of pasta-friendly ingredients.
Tortellini with Mushrooms, Spinach and Italian Sausage
AuthorJulieIn a large pot of boiling water, cook the tortellini until it's just done, according to the package directions. Drain and toss with pesto.
In a large, heavy skillet set over medium-high heat, heat a drizzle of oil and squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the pan. Sauté, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it's about halfway cooked; add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and any excess moisture has cooked off. Add the stock or water and stir to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, then stir in the cream. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the tortellini to the pan and tear in the spinach. Cook, stirring, for another minute or two, until everything is heated through and the spinach wilts. Serve in shallow bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the tortellini until it's just done, according to the package directions. Drain and toss with pesto.
In a large, heavy skillet set over medium-high heat, heat a drizzle of oil and squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the pan. Sauté, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it's about halfway cooked; add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and any excess moisture has cooked off. Add the stock or water and stir to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, then stir in the cream. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the tortellini to the pan and tear in the spinach. Cook, stirring, for another minute or two, until everything is heated through and the spinach wilts. Serve in shallow bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.
Loooooove Italian food! I amy have to try this. I am making Chicken Parmesan tonight and may have to add my almost wilting spinach to it. Thanks again for the inspiration!
That would be “MAY” have to try this. AMY is nowhere to be found……………
This sounds absolutely freakin’ fantastic Julie!
This looks really good! Yum.
Oh yes! This is absolutely just what I like to cook and hubby Bill loves to eat… DONE — dinner tomorrow!
I can’t eat pasta, but this looks great without it. Sort of sausage and spinach toss. I’ll have to try it
🙂
Does everyone always end up with half-full (half empty?) cartons of almost wilted spinach in their fridge?? I totally always have that. And I still insist, when I buy it, on believing that THIS time we’ll eat it all.
This looks fantastic!
I also have an aversion to fennel, so your adaptation looks perfect to me!
Thanks for your comment at Home is Where the Cookies Are! So nice to hear from you!
I’m making this tonight and am incredibly excited. 🙂
Yay! I’m so excited for you!
I think I will try this next week
I made it tonight and my whole family LOVED it!! And that’s a miracle!! Thank you!
what pesto do i use? i will try this tomorrow night for dinner
Any kind – basil, sun dried tomato – I used jarred basil pesto. Yum!
Found your recipe on Foodgawker.com. Just made it and it was delicious! Fast, easy and family friendly. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much
We made this tonight, sans the pesto (allergies) and it was great! We added in red pepper and used our favorite white sauce (made with beans). Thanks for the recipe inspiration!
Having problems getting it thick with the cream? Suggestions??
I have given up pasta and nuts for a while, so I added basil and parsley for the pesto. Then because we have been trying to expand our horizons I used mustard greens for the spinach. I covered it after adding the mushrooms so I left the stock out after cooking down the mushroom juice and added the cream. This dish was terrific. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Wow, that sounds fantastic! thank YOU for the inspiration!
Had this for dinner tonight (we skipped the mushrooms and used ground sausage)….it was delish! Thanks for the inspiration!
Made this tonight. Left out mushrooms and fennel. Added red pepper. Excellent!
That looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe.
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