I may have mentioned that I buy the natural meats that the manager has put on special and freeze them until I am ready to cook them. I had defrosted sausages with blue cheese in anticipation of the previously mentioned grill day that wasn’t, so I found myself with a need to make sausage.  I ran to Google to see what I could do.

I searched for an hour, basically unsatisfied with the recipes I found.  I was mildly tempted with the idea of a Buffalo sauce for the sausage, since it contained blue cheese and I have a bottle of Frank’s in the refrigerator for major cheat days, but no…I actually prefer the creamy blue cheese dipping part of eating Buffalo wings and I would lose that here.

I ended up modifying a recipe from Serious Eats, using gluten-free pasta and adding vegetables, including diced tomatoes, which you will find in a lot of my food, because I love tomatoes and I have a subscription. It was pretty tasty. In fact, I just pulled the leftovers out of the freezer so Papa Satyr can eat it while I have Paleo leftovers one night this week.

Creamy Greek Pasta and Sausage (Dinner) Serves 6-8

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1-lb semi-cured Greek pork sausages, or sweet Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 package pasta, preferably penne or some other tubular pasta
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 ounce feta, blue, or goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
• 1 14-oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large, deep pan such as a chef’s pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add sausage and cook until golden, stirring only occasionally, ~10 minutes.
3. Also, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until desired texture. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
4. Once you have browned the sausages, add the wine and turn the heat to high. Reduce the liquid for 2 minutes, then lower the heat and add the feta cheese, cream, and oregano. Once the cheese melts, add the pasta along with the reserved pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce, not too thick.
5. Add the vegetables and cook until warmed only.  Add more pasta water, if necessary.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among plates, and garnish with Parmesan and parsley.

This dish re-heats excellently in a casserole dish at 400*F for 25-40 minutes, depending on amount leftover and depth of dish.  Make ahead and reheat for a potluck.  Share the love with your friends.  The meat, of course, is completely optional.