Cheap Eats that Actually Taste Good [CharlieBrown'sDildo]

One of the unpleasant realities of child-rearing is that the little bastards have to eat -- apparently every day. Oh, I have tried to limit their intake, hoping that the reduction in energy would decrease the volume of their squawking, but it seems to increase it. And as they get older they not only go out and eat unspeakably foul fast food, they expect to return home and eat again.

My solution has been to stock the refrigerator with large containers of inexpensive but reasonably healthy (compare it to the crap they eat when they are with their friends) foods that are also easy to make.

I blame Purina (for not selling Teenager Chow) for what little work I have to do to keep them from complaining non-stop. I could put a dispenser in the garage, and just hose it out every few days. Life would be grand.

1.5 lbs. Spicy Italian Sausage, casing removed
2 oz. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
6 oz. white wine
16 oz. Frozen Spinach (or lots of fresh if you have access to it)
6 oz. ½ & ½
1 oz. unsalted butter
4 oz. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 lb. Pasta (I use shells, but any ½-1 inch shape would work well)

Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Cut the sausage into ¼-½ inch pieces and then sauté until the sausage is cooked through and lightly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan, leaving the fat and the oil (It might be a good time to put the pasta in the boiling water). Turn the heat down and add the garlic. Cook for a few minutes, and then add the wine. Deglaze the pan on high heat, making sure to scrape all the little bits of sausage and garlic into the liquid. When it has reduced a bit, add the spinach and cover until the spinach has defrosted completely. It won’t take long, so don’t walk away for another glass of wine. It is a little disconcerting how little spinach is left if you use fresh, but it is enough to flavor the dish. Turn the heat down to medium and add the ½ & ½ and butter. Swirl the sauce around until it thickens a bit and the butter is completely incorporated. Put the sausage back into the pan, and when it is reheated, dump it over the pasta. Toss the pasta into the sauce as you sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the whole thing, and serve hot.

Per Serving:
578 Calories
26g Fat (42.1% calories from fat)
21g Protein
60g Carbohydrate
3g Dietary Fiber
57mg Cholesterol
543mg Sodium

posted by Open Blogger at 03:25 PM

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