Creamy Sausage and Peppers Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked pasta (I used bucatini)

1 pound Italian sausage (see note)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)

1 medium yellow bell pepper (chopped)

1 tablespoon butter

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon flour

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional, to taste)

Directions

Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage meat in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as you go along (about 8-10 minutes). Once it's cooked through, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the oil to the skillet, along with the onion and chopped bell peppers. Cook until the onion is lightly browned and the peppers have softened up (about 7-8 minutes).

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic to the skillet, and once the butter melts, sprinkle in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring well.

Stir in the cream and Dijon mustard (ensure there's no lumps from the flour). The sauce should thicken quite quickly, so don't let it cook for more than a minute or so before moving on to the next step.

Add the cooked sausage and spinach to the skillet and stir/toss.

Before draining the pasta, add in a splash (a couple tablespoons or so) of the hot pasta water to the skillet, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss until the spinach has wilted and the pasta is coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with salt & pepper as needed and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

• Calories: 890 kcal
• Total Fat: 64 g
• Saturated Fat: 29 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 31 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Cholesterol: 161 mg
• Sodium: 892 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 51 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 27 g