This quick and easy dinner is ideal when you've had enough of cooking but have to feed your family. It's cheap. It's easy. It tastes great. If you have any, the leftovers make great lunches. The dinner cooks on the stove top and doesn't require extra pots, plus, with veggies included, you don't need much to round out the meal. A salad and/or bread would be enough. To make the dish, I use inexpensive turkey breakfast sausage, the kind that comes in a roll and costs about $3 from Lidl. Because the sausage is seasoned, that means you won't have to add a lot of additional items to the dish. I also use frozen tortellini, which are quick to cook and less expensive than the refrigerated version. Spinach is great in the dish, and a package of mixed greens--spinach, kale, chard, arugula, etc.--also works well (that's what's pictured in the photo). This really is an easy dinner to prepare and cooks quickly. You can have dinner started and on the table in about 30 minutes. Plus, people will be happy, because the dinner is comforting and good!
One Pot Turkey Sausage, Tortellini, and Spinach Dinner -- Serves 4+
2-3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 cup of chopped onion (or a smallish onion)
16 ounces of lean turkey breakfast sausage
2 cups of hot water
2 teaspoons of reduced sodium chicken "Better Than Bullion"
3 cups of frozen Tortellini
5 ounces of fresh spinach, washed well (5-6 large handfuls)
1 cup of light sour cream
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra Parmesan to sprinkle, optional
Heat the oil in a large skillet or chef's pan over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and saute it a few minutes. Add the turkey sausage, breaking it up, and sauteing it with the onion for 5-10 minutes or until mostly cooked. Add the hot water and "Better Than Bullion" to the pan an bring the mixture to a boil. Add the frozen tortellini and bring the pot back to a low boil. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes or until the tortellini is done. Much of the broth will cook down. Add the spinach to the pot a little at a time, stirring it into the meat and tortellini mixture. Once the spinach has wilted down, turn down the heat to low and add the sour cream and Parmesan to the pot, stirring it into the sauce. Taste the mixture (carefully, it's hot!) and add salt and pepper as necessary. Turn off the heat, sprinkle a little more Parmesan over the mixture if you'd like, and serve it from the pot.
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