Sausage & Spinach Pene

This recipe comes courtesy of Cook's Illustrated and is one of their skillet recipes.  It's a great 30-minute weeknight meal that takes only two pans (and just one if you brown the sausage first, then boil the pasta), but is a complete dinner including protein, vegetables, and starch.

Sausage & Spinach Pene
serves 6

Create sausage

Combine all dry spices in large bowl:

2 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

Stir in:

1 tsp. sambal oelek

Mix in by hand and form small balls:

1 lb. ground pork (80/20)

Cook pasta and sausage

Bring to a boil in a saute pan:

2 tsp BTB chicken bouillon

5 1/2 cups water

Add and boil, uncovered, for 13 minutes:
8 oz. pene pasta

1/2 tsp. salt

While the pasta cooks, cook sausage balls completely in a frying pan. 

Add to saute pan with cooked pasta:

1 lb. sausage, browned

1/2 lb. fresh spinach

2 roma tomatoes, diced

Cover for about 2 minutes to wilt spinach.