Well, here is one recipe I make quite often – at least once a week. It’s cheap and super tasty. Honestly, this meal usually runs us about $18 for all of the ingredients, with the exception of the white wine. I enjoy cooking with wine, so I found that it made more sense for me to always keep a box of red and white wine in the refrigerator for convenience.
This recipe was created one cold winter night when money was tight and Dustin and I had to figure out what we could make for dinner from the ingredients we already had in the house.
I hope you enjoy!
Time: Including prep – 35-40 minutes
Serving size: 4 very hungry people or 5 moderately hungry people
Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1/2 bulb garlic cloves
- 1 lb. hot Italian loose sausage (you can use sweet Italian if you aren’t a fan of the hot sausage)
- 1 lb. cooking spinach
- 20 oz. box tortellini (we prefer the fresh tortellini to the frozen)
- A nice helping of fresh basil (use your own judgment as to your taste preference)
- 1 cup of white wine
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- salt – to taste
- pepper – to taste
- crushed red pepper – to taste
- Pecorino Romano for garnish (optional)
Prep:
- Chop garlic.
- Slice peppers into long, thin strips, about 1/2 inch wide.
- Slice the onion into long, thin strips, about 1/2 inch wide.
Directions:
- Heat large 8qt. deep, nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Tear hot sausage into quarter sized pieces and place around warm pan. Pan fry the loose, hot sausage until it is cooked throughout.
- Remove sausage from pot, place into a small bowl, and set aside.
- In the same skillet, toss in the peppers and onions. Sauté for approximately 5-7 minutes. They will be just about tender. Make sure the peppers don’t get mushy.
- Add garlic to peppers and onions.
- At this point you will want to boil a pot of water. Dinner will be done soon, I promise. Make sure to salt the water and add about a tablespoon of oil (we use either canola or vegetable oil) so the pasta will not stick.
- Add the cooked hot sausage to the peppers and onions mixture.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Sauté until the butter melted.
- Add spinach and basil.
- Once the spinach and basil are added to the mixture, carefully add the tortellini to your boiling water.
- Add 1 cup of wine to the mixture. The spinach will begin to cook down. Once it does, add salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers, to taste.
- Keep your eye on the pasta because it cooks fast. Once it is done, strain the water out of the pot.
- Add tortellini to the mixture and turn off the heat from the stove.
- Gently mix the tortellini.
- Once mixed – Mangia!
Below please find the step-by-step process with photos.
Heat large 8qt. deep, nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Tear hot sausage into quarter sized pieces and place around warm pan. Pan fry the loose, hot sausage until it is cooked throughout.
Remove sausage from pot, place into a small bowl, and set aside.
In the same skillet, toss in the peppers and onions. Sauté for approximately 5-7 minutes. They will be just about tender. Make sure the peppers don’t get mushy.
Add garlic to peppers and onions.
At this point you will want to boil a pot of water. Dinner will be done soon, I promise. Make sure to salt the water and add about a tablespoon of oil (we use either canola or vegetable oil) so the pasta will not stick.
Add the cooked hot sausage to the peppers and onions mixture.
Add 4 tablespoons of butter.
Sauté until the butter melted.
Add spinach and basil.
Once the spinach and basil are added to the mixture, carefully add the tortellini to your boiling water.
Add 1 cup of wine to the mixture. The spinach will begin to cook down. Once it does, add salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers, to taste.
Keep your eye on the pasta because it cooks fast. Once it is done, strain the water out of the pot.
Add tortellini to the mixture and turn off the heat from the stove.
Gently mix the tortellini into the mixture.
Once mixed – Mangia!
