Sausage N Spinach Pockets Food

ONE-POT PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 12-inch, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Use your hands to pull the sausages apart into small pieces; add to the skillet and cook untouched for 1 minute.
• Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals and breaking up the sausage into 1/2-inch chunks, until browned and crispy on the outside with no pink remaining. If you have more than 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan, drain the excess.
• Carefully pour in the passata (it may splatter), then add the cumin, red-pepper flakes and 2 cups water, stirring to combine. Season with salt and increase the heat to bring to a boil.
• Add the pasta, coating it with the liquid. (It won't be fully submerged, and that's OK.) Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer with small bubbles forming on the surface. Cover and let cook, stirring every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. If the pasta is still hard at this point, add a few tablespoons of warm water at a time and cook until just al dente. Depending on your pasta size and shape, you may need to add several tablespoons of water.
• When the pasta is just al dente, reduce the heat to low and season to taste with salt. Stir in the spinach in batches, and cook, uncovered, until most of the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute more. (It will continue to wilt in the heat of the pasta after you serve it.) If the pasta seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Divide pasta among serving bowls and top with Parmesan.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the scallion whites and rosemary and cook until the scallions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and 1⁄2 cup of the boiling water. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Add the pasta to the tomato sauce along with the spinach and half of the scallion greens. Toss to coat the pasta and wilt the spinach, about 1 minute, gradually adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Season with salt, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta and toss well. Divide among plates or shallow bowls and top with the remaining scallion greens.

SAUSAGE 'N' SPINACH POCKETS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown sausage, onion and garlic; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in spinach and mushrooms. Add mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese if desired; mix well and set aside. Separate crescent dough into eight rectangles; seal perforations and flatten slightly to 5-in. x 4-1/2-in. rectangles. Place about 1/3 cup sausage mixture on half of each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Beat egg and water; brush on edges of dough. Bring unfilled half of dough over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg mixture. Sprinkle the cornmeal on a greased baking sheet; place pockets on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.