Sausage & Spinach sauteed Ravioli

              To tell you the truth here, I am not sure what to write about for this dish. I think the type of ravioli I used were by themselves, “bloggable,” while the dinner itself was worth some words as well! So to deal with my issue over what to present, I’ll write about both! I promise I’ll keep it shortJ

                First, the ravioli. Not only were they ridiculously creamy and beautiful to look at, they were done in about 2 minutes! Even better though, was the fact that they could have also been microwaved! MICROWAVED! In my entire cooking lifespan, I have yet to come across “ravs” that can be nuked, have you?!? Now, not that I dabbled in that type of cooking this time, I am definitely intrigued for future use. What do you think? I’m going to give a whirl sometime soon, so stay tuned….

                Now for the dish, yum yum yum. The combo of spinach, wine, a little butter and some crumbled sausage was a true homerun! It wasn’t swimming in sauce either; rather, each ravioli had just the right amount of coating and broth to set itself up for a well balanced bite! Not to mention, even with a filled pasta and sausage component, it made for a somewhat light meal. I tribute both the broth and the subtleness of the spinach, both of which offered flavor sans weight.

                So that’s about it for this week. I hope you try this recipe, it was a winner, no doubt! And for the ravioli, I encourage you to try them, even if you boil like me the first time. I’ll get back to you with the microwaved version in the near future, although if I don’t post about it in the next couple months, I’d say stick to the boiling, tried-and-true, method! Enjoy…..

Sausage & Spinach sautéed Ravioli

Serves: 2-3 

OBJ: TCW be able to combine some lingering freezing items into a flavorful dish!

Ingredients:

¼ of a large onion, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 sausage links (1 sweet, 1 hot), casings removed

¼ bag, washed and coarsely chopped spinach

½ of a 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 and 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

½ TBS unsalted butter

½ C dry white wine (I used a White Bordeaux, but use what you booze!)

Grated Parmesan cheese

S & P: salt and pepper

Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

¼ C reserved ravioli water

1 package (15 ounce) spinach ravioli, cooked to stovetop directions (brand I used: Cucina di Carla)

Procedures:

1.  In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add sausage and crumble while cooking, about 5-8 minutes. Once browned and cooked through, remove sausage to paper towel-lined plate

2. To same sauté pan, add 1 TBS oil and heat over medium flame. Add onions, garlic, and a pinch S & P. Let cook and soften, about 5 minutes

3. Add wine to pan, up flame to high and bring to boil. Scrape up “bits” from bottom then turn flame to low to simmer, let sauce reduce, about 2 minutes

4. Add tomatoes, another pinch S & P, and red pepper flakes to pan, stir and bring to simmer. Cover for 5 minutes

5. Uncover pan, add sausage, spinach, and butter, mix well over low flame

6. Add cooked ravioli, Parmesan cheese (About 1-2 TBS), reserved ravioli water to sauté and toss well to combine

7. Bring to table and serveJ