Spaghetti with Sausage & Spinach

You know those days when you're running around working, Christmas shopping, cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc. and the last thing you want to do is make something that takes an hour to cook and prep?

This recipe is a great solution to that problem. It tastes like you really put some effort into it, but it takes less than 30 minutes from prep to serving. 

Also, this recipe gave me a great excuse to use our brand new Vietri Christmas dishes we received as wedding gifts! 

I love their "Old St. Nick" Christmas pattern. Each bowl has a unique Santa, along with a corresponding dinner plate with the same Santa face. Did you know Vietri is the largest importer of handcrafted Italian tableware and home decor? No wonder I love it! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of sausage, halved lengthwise & cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 3/4 cup of chopped yellow onion
• 2 tsps of olive oil
• 2 14-oz cans of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup of water
• 8 oz of spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 1 9-oz package of baby spinach
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• 1/3 cup of whipping cream

Steps:

1. In a large Dutch oven cook sausage, onion, and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat until sausage is lightly browned and the onions are tender.

2. Add broth and water to the Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Then, add the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The liquid should reduce down significantly. 

3. Add the spinach and pepper and cook an additional minute until the spinach is wilted. Stir in cream, and serve!

I love how there's just a bit of cream in order to thicken up the meal, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor the whole thing. I admit - we went back for seconds. We couldn't help ourselves!