Sausage and Tortellini

My husband took the week off to tackle some projects at home. He is working on built-in furniture around the house, finishing the basement, and building me a wooden music stand for my studio at the university.

After ballet this morning, I had a wonderful 3 hour block of rest before I went to teach. I come home at 8 or 9 pm most nights, so often I cook big on the weekends and we enjoy leftovers during the week. Since we were both at home during the day today, I decided to make my Saturday recipe during the week. It made a lovely lunch and it was so nice to spend time during the day together in the kitchen.

This meal has everything without a lot of guilt. The chicken sausage is healthier than pork, but cram-jam full of flavor. I pumped the dish full of green vegetables, then complimented their verdure with sweet, bursting sun dried tomatoes and earthy mushrooms. The tortellini was my capitulation to deliciousness with their cheesy pockets, and I finished everything off with a dusting of my favorite cheese, pecorino. Yum.

Ingredients:

1 pound four cheese tortellini

12 ounces Asiago and roasted red pepper chicken sausage

12 ounces broccoli florets

8 ounces spinach

16 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces sun dried tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Pecorino romano, for garnish

Ingredients:

Toss the broccoli with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Lay out on a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and brilliant green.

Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the chicken sausage and saute until golden brown as well, a further 5 minutes. Add in the butter, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Toss in the broccoli.

While sauteing, bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions. Drain and add into the cast iron pan. Toss and serve with grated pecorino. Enjoy with a glass of wine or prosecco, if you enjoy bubbles as I do.

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