Okay – we are back to posting a recipe this week.
You all know how to make homemade tortellini, right? So I don’t need to post the instructions for that I am sure. Okay – so do what I did and go to the supermarket dairy case and buy a good brand of premade tortellini. I forgot to check but I would say it was a 2 lb package and made 6 or 7 good sized servings. All we are going to make is the sauce. It is fast and very easy and this version contains slightly less fat than a conventional Alfredo sauce.
Remove from casings and brown in 1 tablespoon olive oil:
1 lb Italian sausage [I use a local brand of hot chicken sausage but pork sausage will work just fine. Use sweet sausage if you like a little less heat] Remove sausage to a bowl, leaving pan drippings. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the the drippings.
Clean and cut in quarters or slices
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
Brown in the butter and drippings and add to sausage in the bowl.
To the pan add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Slice a medium onion into thin wedges and sauté briefly.
Add
1 cup chicken broth
1 10 ounce package chopped frozen spinach
2 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Simmer 5 minutes
Return sausage and mushrooms to the pan and add
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup half and half
Bring back up to a simmer. While this is coming up to temperature, cook tortellini according to package directions and drain. Thicken sausage/spinach mixture slightly with
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons water
Cook about 3 minutes, stirring several times and add
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups shredded Romano Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley [optional]
If you love garlic, add some more during this last simmer – I usually throw in another clove or two.
Return tortellini to the pan, cover and heat for a few minutes to get everything nice and hot again. Taste and adsjust salt and pepper as needed. The cheese is quite salty, so you may not need any more at all.
If you aren’t worried about the fat, omit the chicken broth, milk and cornstarch and use all half & half. If you are more worried about the fat than I am, skip the half and half, use all 1% milk at that point and thicken more by doubling the amount of cornstarch and water. Thickening the sauce compensates for the loss of body from using less cream – without it, the sauce would be quite watery. This is also very flexible as to the ingredients used – you can skip the mushrooms or substitute broccoli for the spinach or use angel hair pasta or ziti instead of tortellini. You can’t call it “Tortellini with Spicy Florentine Alfredo Sauce” then though because people will look at you funny. Enjoy!
