Before you pick up the phone to order takeout, let me show you one of my favorite quick and satisfying meals. It’s a skillet pasta dinner and it only takes about 30 minutes to pull together. This pasta with chicken sausage dish is my go-to dinner when I need an easy dinner. All I need is a bit of oil and 5 basic ingredients: chicken sausage, pasta, marinara sauce, spinach and cheese. That’s it. Depending on the amount of time I have to prepare dinner, I may throw in some diced peppers and zucchini to make it more filling. I’ve included a quick marinara sauce in my recipe below, but if I’m in a rush, store-bought sauce is fine. You can also make the marinara sauce ahead and keep it frozen for quick, entirely from-scratch weeknight meals. It’s very easy to customize the recipe to whatever ingredients you have on hand and how quickly you need dinner on the table. Try this pasta dish the next time you want a fast home-cooked meal. I promise, it’ll be quicker than ordering takeout!
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 cups (180g) diced red onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28-ounce) can (795g) crushed tomatoes 1 tablespoon honey or sugar 1/4 cup (5g) chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup (5g) chopped fresh basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the pasta:
8 ounces (225g) penne pasta 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound (450g) chicken sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces 4 to 6 cups (100 to 150g) baby spinach 1 1/2 cups (140g) shredded mozzarella cheese Chopped parsley, to garnish
Reduce heat to low and let the sauce continue slowly simmering for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in honey, parsley, basil and oregano and cook for another minute. Season sauce with salt to your taste. Turn off heat. (Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups; keeps 4 to 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.)
