Creamy Tomato Shell Pasta with Spinach, Italian Sausage & Toasted Parmesan Breadcrumb

COOK TIME - 20-30min
2 SERVINGS

Shell pasta has one big thing going for it that other pastas do not: its cup shape makes it the perfect vehicle to hold special pasta sauces – and believe us, this dish is special! It hit all the marks: deliciously creamy tomato sauce tossed with spinach, tons of Italian sausage & topped with perfectly toasted parmesan breadcrumbs, coming together in under 30 minutes. 

Nutrition PER SERVING
Calories 817 kcal
Fat 44.0 g
Carbohydrate 71.0 g
Protein 32.0 g
Sodium 949 mg
Creamy Tomato Orecchiette with Spinach, Italian Sausage & Toasted Parmesan Breadcrumbs

fresh ingredients

IN THE KIT

  • 6 oz
    Italian sausage links (3)
  • 6 oz
    shell pasta
  • 1 oz
    garlic/onion blend
  • 2 oz
    white wine
  • 4 oz
    heavy cream
  • 4 oz
    tomato puree
  • 1 oz
    Italian herbs
  • 4 oz
    parmesan cheese
  • 4 oz
    seasoned panko
  • 1 oz
    garlic butter
  • 4 oz
    spinach
  • 1 oz
    fresh basil

Not Included

Salt & pepper

Olive oil 

 

Kitchen Items Needed

Medium pot 

Large skillet

Medium bowl

Colander/strainer

Small bowl

cook along

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep

Bring of water in a medium pot to boil with a pinch of salt;

Remove the sausage meat from casing, crumbling into small bowl;

Remove basil leaves from stem & finely chop;

1Cook Pasta

Add pasta to boiling water, cooking for 5-7 minutes or until al dente – it should be just cooked with a bit of firmness. Strain, saving 1 cup of pasta water, put pasta back in pot. Set aside.

2Toast Breadcrumbs

Melt garlic butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add breadcrumb, toast for 1-2 minutes, moving the crumbs around the skillet until golden brown, watching carefully that it doesn’t burn. Remove from the skillet, put in a bowl, wipe skillet clean & set aside. 

3Brown Sausage

Heat a small drizzle of oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add garlic/onion blend, cook for 15 seconds.

Add sausage meat, cook, breaking it up as you go, until there are some little golden bits - about 4 minutes.

Add wine, cook for a further minute, scraping the bottom of the skillet to remove the golden bits. 

4Make Base

Add remaining ingredients except spinach. Stir well, bring to simmer then turn stove down to low simmer gently for 2 minutes to bring all the flavours together.

Add pasta & spinach. Toss well for 1 minute to coat pasta well with the sauce - it will thicken. If the sauce gets too thick, use the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen it up. 

5To Serve

Serve immediately, sprinkling toasted bread crumbs on top & garnished with remaining grated parmesan & fresh basil.