I rarely plan my weeknight meals. I should, I know it’s easier and you save money by only buying what you need at the store, but I typically just go and stock up on my staples and grab something new to try as I go by. This week, my something new was Trader Joe’s Spinach Fontina Chicken Sausage. I’ve really been on a sausage kick lately, which is weird because until about two months ago, I really didn’t eat sausage. There was really no reason other than it wasn’t one of my staples.

So, I decided to give this sausage a try with a little Pinterest inspiration and what I had on hand in my kitchen and tossed together this pasta. My hubby approved and said he would like to have it again, which is typically a good thing! My three year old ate a sandwich instead, haha. This may not be the most kid friendly dish in the world, unless your kid is really cool and experimental with their taste buds.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lb Spinach Fontina Chicken Sausage
16 oz. Brown Rice & Quinoa Fusilli Pasta
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 cup half and half (or unsweetened almond milk to cut fat and calories)
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1-2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
black pepper & parsley to taste

Now Go To Work

1. Start by melting butter in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until tender.
3. Add garlic for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove garlic and onions and a little bit of butter remaining and place on a plate, set aside.
5. In the same pan, cook your sausage for 12-14 minutes.
6. While your sausage cooks, cook the pasta according to package directions.
7. Once sausage is cooked, remove from pan and put the onion, garlic and butter mixture back in the same pan. (Then slice your sausage up.)
8. Stir in flour and mix well.
9. Add tomato sauce and stir well.
10. Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk of choice, stirring constantly.
11. Slowly add chicken broth to desired consistency and stir until mixed well. I used roughly 1.5 cups, but you may want more or less depending on how thick you would like your sauce.
12. Let the sauce simmer and thicken on low for about ten minutes.
13. Stir in parmesan cheese and throw sausage back into your pan.
14. Add pasta to pan and sprinkle with a little black pepper and parsley!

Enjoy!