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Gluten-Free Penne Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Sage, and Apple Cream Sauce is the perfect pasta dinner with an autumnal twist!
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Most of us love to travel and while I’m no exception, there does come a point when I start missing the routine of my daily life. One of the things I miss most when I’m traveling is my well-stocked kitchen at home, both in terms of ingredient variety and kitchen tools/appliances at my disposal.
A lot of the time when I’m traveling, I try to find a place with at least a small, functional kitchen, but of course that doesn’t mean they’re well-stocked. As long as there’s a stovetop and a skillet or pot, I can work with that. And no matter whether you’re traveling or not, most weeknights a stovetop dinner is all that many of us have time for. Pasta dinner to the rescue!
I had something a little fall-ish in mind when I came up with this recipe; it’s not the usual ubiquitous fall pumpkin, but something that still says harvest time, which is where apple and sage come in. Chicken sausage is a natural pairing, spinach bumps up the veggie content, and I use a bit of cream to add richness.
You can find this gluten free pasta tucked in between the other Barilla pastas at Target!
I used Barilla® Gluten Free Penne pasta, which is made with a blend of corn and rice. It’s gluten free and non-GMO, and it has classic pasta taste and texture that the whole family will enjoy. You can head over here to get 5% off Barilla pasta and sauce until 10/29/2016.
Do share because we’re all looking for inspiration…what’s your favorite pasta dinner?
- 1 (12 oz/340 g) Barilla Gluten Free Penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) chicken sausage (I used bulk sausage, not links, but you could brown up some links instead if you prefer)
- 1 small-medium onion, chopped
- 1 small-medium sweet-tart crisp apple, cored and chopped (not peeled)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (10 oz/285 g) bag frozen cut-leaf spinach (no need to thaw)
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (or half and half)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage (or ¾ teaspoon dried ground sage)
- Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions; drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook (uncovered) 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the sausage. Stir in the apple, garlic, and frozen spinach, and cook (uncovered) until the apple is tender and the liquid is mostly evaporated off, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cream, salt, black pepper, and pasta; turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle the fresh sage on top (or stir it in if you’re using dried) and serve along with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese for topping.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Beautiful and appetizing :-) Cheers !
I love this fall-inspired pasta dish! These flavors are absolutely spot on!
Looks like dinner tonight! :)