Long name, but just a short time to put together and super delicious! Love making this in the fall!
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage
- 10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 bottle of prepared butternut squash pasta sauce (I love Dave’s Gourmet)
- ½ cup (maybe more) chicken stock
- 1 ½ cup whole milk mozzarella, shredded
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 lb. short pasta like orecchiette, penne or cavatappi
- 2 T chopped Italian parsley
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for 2-3 minutes less than package directions call for. Save a cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
Sauté yellow onion in a medium sauce pot until soft, season with salt. Add entire jar of butternut squash pasta sauce and warm through, adding chicken stock until still thick, but thinned just a bit. Keep warm.
Cook Italian sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon until brown, remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 T olive oil to pan and sauté mushrooms on medium high heat until brown and soft, season with salt and pepper. Add spinach with garlic, season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with white wine. Add sausage to pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, add cooked pasta, sausage, mushrooms, spinach and hot butternut squash sauce, stir to combine. Add parsley and mix. If mixture seems too dry, add a splash of pasta water and mix.
At this point, you can divide mixture up into ramekins, top with mozzarella and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling. You can also add entire mixture to a casserole dish, top with cheese and bake at same time for same amount.
*I’ve also turned this into a lasagna, spreading out ingredients in different layers!
