Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach
I LOVE this Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach! I am especially proud of this particular dish because it is something I threw together on a cold rainy day, years ago and it instantly became a top five favorite! It is not only delicious but quite easy to make. The ingredients that are used are already infused with so many flavors that you do not need a lot of extra seasonings. From start to finish you can have this amazing dish on your family’s table in less than 20 minutes! If you like this dish, you should check out this creamy penne pasta bake! https://whatsmomcookin.com/creamy-penne-pasta-bake/
What Ingredients are Needed?
The ingredients are a 1 lb box of pasta of your choice, but bowtie/farfalle really does work best with this dish. Then you will need 1 lb of Italian Sausage, some fresh parmesan, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, spinach, heavy cream, fresh garlic and chicken broth. And that is it!
How to Make It:
So the first thing you want to do is get your pasta boiling. Cook to al dente according to the package directions. Be sure to salt your water!
*THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! When your pasta is finished cooking, reserve 2-3 cups of the pasta water before draining it. And do not rinse the pasta!
Everything else happens in the same pan, and it needs to be a large, deep skillet.
First you want to brown the Italian Sausage. Do not drain the grease. Then stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. After that, you will add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until the garlic is fragrant.
Now you will add in 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. Stir it up really well and let the flour cook off for about 3-4 minutes to allow the flour taste to cook off.
At this point you will turn the heat down to low/medium and add 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir it continuously, as it will thicken up rather quickly.
Now stir in the parmesan, then stir in the mozzarella. It’s going to seem really thick and gloopy, but this is why it is so important to save the pasta water. (If you forgot, do not fret, you can always add plain water, it just won’t hold the sauce together quite as well)
As you can see in the previous picture, the sauce is very thick and gluey. Stir in 2 cups of the pasta water, and it will become creamy and the perfect consistency! You can see the difference in the 2 pictures.
This really is a trust-the-process kind of recipe! You will add in 10 oz of roughly chopped fresh spinach. It will probably be spilling over the pan. Don’t worry, just quickly stir it all in there and the spinach will wilt down A LOT!
Lastly, you will stir in the cooked and drained pasta. (Remember there is no need to rinse it). Once the pasta is stirred in, you can taste it and see if it needs any salt or pepper, although I have never needed it, some people prefer salt more than others so make it how YOU like it!
And now you have a beautiful, decadent dish that tastes like restaurant quality! It is wonderful served with some extra parmesan on top and some garlic bread on the side. I absolutely love this dish and I hope that you will too!
If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating! I love hearing from you and it helps so much! Thank you!
Creamy Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Equipment
- 1 Large Deep Skillet
- 1 Large Pot for boiling pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
- 1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes in oil with Italian Herbs
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 6-7 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Fresh Parmesan
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
- 10 oz Bag Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
- 16 oz Box Bowtie/Farfalle Pasta You can use any type of pasta you want, but this type really does work best for this recipe
- 1-2 Cups Pasta Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste if needed I never use it, but some people may want it a bit saltier
Instructions
- Bring your pasta water to a boil. Be sure to add plenty of salt. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. BE SURE TO RESERVE 1-2 CUPS OF THE WATER BEFORE DRAINING IT WHEN IT IS FINISHED COOKING! Also, do not rinse the pasta.
- In a large skillet, brown the Italian Sausage, do not drain.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Stir in the garlic and let it cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and let it cook down for about 3-4 minutes to cook out the flour taste.
- Add the heavy cream and chicken broth and stir until thickened.
- Add the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, stirring until the cheese is all melted. The sauce will be very thick and gluey at this point.
- Pour in 2 cups of the pasta water and stir until it is a nice smooth consistency.
- Stir in the spinach and then the cooked and drained pasta. Remove from the heat and serve immediately!
Every time I make this dish, everyone LOVES it!
Happy to hear that! Thank you Ken!
Just made this today. The whole family enjoyed it. Will definitely stay on the dinner rotation.