I have a complicated relationship with meal planning. On the one hand, I have to have a plan during the week. I typically know what we’re eating for dinner Monday-Thursday, and then from Friday-Sunday, we’re often scrounging or making a hodge podge. It’s not uncommon for our weeknight dinners to be more involved - whether that means more steps, longer cook times, or new recipes - than weekend meals. To me, the most important thing is that I’m not trying to figure out what to make at 4:30.
I like to cook, and I enjoy trying new recipes, but my kids are in a picky season right now, which makes meal planning stressful. Rather than getting excited about new recipes, I’ll flip through a cookbook agonizing over which dinners they might try and even like. I know all the typical advice - put something on the table you know they’ll eat, give them the ingredients deconstructed, etc etc. My problem is that I really love a one-pot meal, and I put a lot of emotional energy feeding my family.
Alas, I’ve found success in having a few recipes that really hit the mark, meals that I’ve coined ‘brainless dinners’ in my head. A brainless dinner is something that everybody likes, ideally works all year round, and I know both the ingredients and the steps off the top of my head, making it super easy to add to my meal plan and grocery list. Today I’m sharing one of my favorites: Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta.
Pasta, pork, and cheese are the ultimate comfort combo
Technically I made this recipe up, but it’s no doubt inspired by things I’ve eaten and cooked before. It’s a pretty classic combo: pasta, garlic, dairy, pork, and cheese. Usually I’ll add this dinner to the meal plan and add the items to my grocery list, but it’s also flexible enough that I can scrounge up ingredients to make a variation whenever I feel like it. The pork sausage can be swapped for turkey sausage, prosciutto, or bacon. Or you can make it meatless and just add more fat. You can sub peas or broccoli in place of the spinach, and the amounts and type of cream and cheese are pretty flexible as well.
This comes together fast. You’ll start by cooking the pasta at the same time you build the sauce. Any short pasta works, but I prefer orecchiette, conchiglie, or cacscatelli for the way they trap the sauce and sausage. This is also delicious with cheese ravioli. Brown the sausage, then add garlic and cook until your house smells amazing. In goes a bunch of butter and some half and half. At this point, you’re looking at a big, delicious pan of fat, but it’s okay - you’re about to add a ton of veggies.
Add a few big handfuls of spinach, and cover to let it wilt. After a minute or two, uncover, stir, and add more spinach. Keep going until you’ve added all the spinach from your container or bag, because you know it’s just going to sit in the fridge and get slimy if you don’t eat it all now. It should look like this:
When the pasta is done, reserve some pasta water. I almost never end up using it, but it’s a good insurance policy and feels very chef-y, right? Drain the pasta, then immediately dump it into the skillet. (If your skillet isn’t very big and that feels like a bad idea, you can dump the pasta back into the pot, and then pour your sausage mixture over it.) Stir to combine, then add the cheese and continue to toss until you’ve got a nice, glossy sauce. If it feels a little dry, add some pasta water a splash at a time.
Plunk that giant pot down on the table, sling some pasta bowls at your family, top off your glass of wine, and enjoy this easy, delicious dinner.
Creamy sausage and spinach pasta
Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 lb short pasta, such as conchiglie
3-4 cloves of garlic
4 oz Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp (half a stick) of salted butter
2/3 cup half and half
package of baby spinach
Also:
kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
additional shredded Parmesan for serving
Directions:
Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil. Salt generously with kosher salt. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, mince the garlic and shred the Parmesan (you should have about a cup).
Drizzle some olive oil in a big skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon.
When the pork is just about browned, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When the butter is melted, slowly add the half and half, stirring to combine.
Add a few big handfuls of spinach, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover to allow the spinach to wilt. After a minute or two, uncover the skillet, stir, and add more spinach. Repeat until you’re happy with the amount of spinach. Reduce heat to low while pasta finishes cooking.
When the pasta is done, dip a mug in to reserve some pasta water. Drain the pasta, then dump into the skillet with the sausage mixture. (You can also add everything back to the pasta pot if your skillet is not big enough.)
Add the shredded Parmesan, a handful at a time, and stir until you have a nice, glossy sauce. If the sauce looks a little dry, add a splash of pasta water.
Serve immediately with extra Parm.
What are your brainless dinners? I love a one-pot recipe, but I’m also always looking for easy meals with multiple components that my family can pick and choose.