Clean and Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta

If you're anything like me, you like your COMFORT foods. My typical comfort foods are FULL of pasta and CHEESE! Two things that when combined together in excess can be both delicious and terribly sinful. So I've been on the hunt for a recipe that will satisfy my comfort food craving without COMPLETELY derailing all my hard work. 

Here is what I made, and its #21dayfixapproved! It was ABSOLUTELY delicious!

{{Clean and Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta}}

Makes 4-6 servings
21 Day Fix portions: 1 yellow, 1 green, 1/2 red, 1/3 blue

Ingredients:

• ½ box whole wheat or whole grain pasta (I recommend a thicker noodle)
• 2 links lean turkey or chicken sausage (I prefer hot, but you can use sweet sausage too. I recommend Target "Simply Balanced" brand hot Italian chicken sausage)
• 1½ green containers baby portobella mushrooms
• ½ green container sun-dried tomatoes (tip: buy the ones that come in the zipper bag, not the kind in a jar soaking in oil...I found these in the produce section)
• 1½  green containers kale
• 1½ green container spinach leaves
• ½ cup shredded Italian blend cheese (I used sargento; kraft has a nice one too; or you could grate your own Parmesan and mozzarella alternatively)
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup organic milk

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions (Important: right before draining the noodles, save a ladel-full of hot, starchy cooking water-you will need that later for the sauce!)
2. In a skillet, saute all vegetables. Season with pepper, garlic and onion powder, and italian seasoning. Once tender, remove from pan, and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Remove the sausage from its casings and brown the meat in the skillet. Once cooked, remove from pan and drain any excess grease from the meat
4. In the same skillet, add the flour to the pan drippings and whisk to form a roux. (Note: you may need to add a teaspoon or so of EVOO depending on how much pan drippings you have.)
5. Gradually stir in milk and followed by the reserved starchy cooking water
6. Reduce heat, stirring slowly, and allow sauce to thicken.
7. Stir in shredded cheese using a figure-8 motion until the cheese dissolves into the sauce
8. Adjust sauce seasonings to taste, adding in garlic and onion powder and pepper to taste. Also, if the sauce gets too thick and pasty, add more milk or cooking water- you want this to have an nice creamy consistency
9. Add the noodles, sausage, and vegetables to the sauce and stir to coat evenly.
10. Use your green container (or 1 cup measuring cup) to portion out each serving. Enjoy!

BONUS:

• If you’re not a fan of sausage, try this with diced chicken breast or even lean ground turkey (seasoned with garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, and a little red pepper flake)