Sausage Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

Fusilli pasta with sausages and veggies on a deep skillet, ready to serve family style.

Comforting family dinner for a busy weeknight with fusilli pasta, Italian sausages, spinach and mushrooms.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword fusilli sausage pasta, sausage pasta, sausage pasta with spinach and mushrooms

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 751kcal

Author Sonila

Equipment

1 Deep Saute Pan
1 Pasta Pot

Ingredients

6 mild Italian sausages
2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
16 oz fusilli pasta usually 1 box
4 quarts water
1 tbsp salt this is for pasta water
1 white onion
4 garlic cloves add more to taste
1 red bell pepper
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
8 oz tomato sauce
salt / pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
0.5 tsp paprika
0.5 tsp crushed red pepper add more for a spicier dish
2 cups spinach you can use baby spinach too
1 tbsp freshl, chopped Italian parsley
freshly grated parmesan cheese add to taste, usually 2 tbsps per adults but my kids eat less

Instructions

Chop onion, chop red bell pepper, mince garlic and slice mushrooms. Set everything aside.
Place the deep saute pan on the stovetop, medium heat. Add olive oil on the pan. In the same time, place the pasta pot in another burner on the stovetop. Add water and salt, set to boil.
Slice or cut sausages in bite size pieces. Add sausages to saute pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally so sausage bites don't stick to pan and they cook evenly. Once sausage bites are browned, start removing them from saute pan and place them on a platter.
As soon as water boils in the pot, add pasta in it. Give it a quick stir. Let cook until pasta is al dente or about 1 minute from al dente.
Add onions and garlic to saute pan. Once translucent, add chopped red bell pepper. Saute everything for a minute or two. Stirr occasionally.
Add mushrooms and keep stirring so the mushrooms start softening. Once mushrooms are soft, add the sausages back in the pan.
Pour tomato sauce over the mushrooms, add salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and crushed red pepper. Using a ladle, pour 1 to 2 ladles of pasta water from the pot to the saute pan. Mix everything well in the pan.
At this point pasta is al dente or almost al dente (about 10-11 minutes from the moment you put pasta in boiling water). Reserve 1 cup or so of pasta water in case more is needed. Then drain the fusilli pasta and add them over the mushrooms and the rest of the sauce you are preparing in the saute pan.
Add spinach over the pasta and sausage and start folding it in from the sides with the wooden spoon. Spinach will wilt fast and will get incorporated with the pasta and the rest of the sauce. Lower heat to low and cover the saute pan for just a minute after everything has been mixed well together.
Garnish with fresh parsley right before serving and add grated parmesan cheese either straight on the pan or on individual plates. I love adding some fresh cracked black pepper on my plate too right before eating.

Video

Notes

Rule of thumb for pasta is that you need 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt for 1 lb of pasta.
Serve with a green salad and bread rolls and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container for few days in the refrigerator. You can warm up the leftovers in a saute pan or microwave.

Nutrition