Mmmm. Gnocchi. Little pillows of fluffy, potato-y goodness. Combine them with almost any sauce, throw a little grated parm on those bad boys, and I’m sold…especially if it’s cold outside and I’m needing something filling and hearty in my life.

This Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach is one of the first recipes I turn to as soon as the temperatures start dropping. It’s so unbelievably easy, so quick, and everyone always asks for seconds. And that simple sauce? We’re talking lick-your-plate good here. What? Don’t act like you haven’t done it! I totally do every time I make this! There ain’t no shame in my game.

Tips and Tricks

-If you’re into kale, this recipe is perfect for it. Just switch out the spinach. I personally prefer baby kale because it’s so much more tender and mild, but it can be hard to find in my neck of the woods. I highly recommend trying it if you can find it!

-Feel free to switch out the sausage! If you like things with more heat, go for Mild or Hot Italian Sausage rather than sweet.

-If you have sausage left over, either freeze it for later, or make one of my other favorite pasta dishes, try this Chicken and Sausage Pasta!

-Cooking with white wine tip: I like to cook with Pinot Grigio, especially if I’m using it in an Italian dish. You could also go with Sauvignon Blanc. Both are fine and easy to find. I would avoid cooking with Chardonnay (unless it’s unoaked) as most of those are way to oaky/creamy to work well in recipes like this one. And definitely don’t use a sweet white wine, such as Moscato.

-Not a white wine drinker and don’t cook with it enough to warrant opening a whole bottle just for one recipe? I like to keep the little mini-bottles (187 mL) in my pantry. You can find them in most grocery stores and they usually come in 4-packs.

How to Make Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

Start off by getting a large pot of well-salted water boiling for your gnocchi. It cooks really fast, so you’ll want to have your water ready and waiting for you when you’re ready for it.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the red pepper flakes and diced onion. Season with some salt and pepper and sauté until it starts to turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for a few more seconds. Next, slice open the sausage casings and add it in small chunks; you’ll want the pieces of sausage to be no bigger than a single gnocchi. Let the sausage brown.

Once the sausage has some good color on it, add in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up any brown bits. Trust me, you want those! That’s flavor right there friends! Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated out of the pan, then add the chicken stock.

While that’s cooking, add the gnocchi to the pot of boiling water. Keep a close eye on it! As soon as those babies start to float to the top, use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and into the skillet. It’s ok if they’re slightly underdone since they’ll continue to cook in the sauce. Give everything a good stir to combine. If it looks a little dry, add a little bit of the cooking water from the gnocchi. Stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt.

Remove from the heat and top with some grated parmigiana. Scoop yourself up a big bowl, pour a glass of wine, curl up on the couch, and ENJOY!

Looking for More Great Pasta Recipes? Try one of these!

Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Summer Vegetable Angel Hair Pasta

Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta

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Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

Get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes with this super easy meal that looks like (and tastes like!) it came straight from your favorite Italian restaurant!

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword 30 Minute Meals, Baby Kale, easy dinner, Gnocchi, Italian Sausage, Kale, Spinach

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Meagan – The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) Package Gnocchi
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Links Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, casing removed
• 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup White Wine
• 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
• 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

• Heat salted water in a large pot to boiling.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil, and sauté the onion until it softens, Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so, until it becomes fragrant.
• Add the sausage and brown, crumbling it until the chunks are no bigger than the size of the gnocchi.
• Add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up any brown bits. Allow the wine to reduce, cooking it down until there is very little liquid left in the pan. Add the chicken broth.
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling, salted water, and just until it floats to the surface of the water (follow package instructions). Immediately transfer to the skillet with the sausage using a slotted spoon. Stir to combine. Add a little pasta water to the skillet (approx 1/4 cup).
• Add the spinach to the skillet. Stir to combine everything cook until the spinach wilts.
• Remove from the heat and top with grated parm. Taste for seasoning. Try not to "test" it all before you get it to the table.

Notes

*Feel free to substitute kale or baby kale for the spinach!

The post Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

It’s happened, friends. My oldest baby isn’t a baby any more and has started pre-school AND dance class. Plus, JW has started fall harvest and I’ve started prepping for VandeLittle #3. In other words, our normally crazy life has just gotten way, way crazier. And it ain’t going to slow down any time soon.

Enter my salvation in the form of my trusty slow cooker! I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it! I love just dumping everything in the crock pot and forgetting about it until it’s time to eat.

This Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce is one of those meals that require very little prep to get started. Just dump and go! Then, about 20 minutes before dinner time, preheat your oven to bake some garlic bread, cook and drain some pasta, shred the chicken (which honestly pretty much shreds itself because it ends up being so tender), and add the last couple of ingredients. And bam! Dinner that even your kids will love is done!

How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce:

Spread a little of your favorite jarred (or homemade if you’ve got it!) marinara sauce on the bottom of your crock pot. Add in chicken tenders, diced onion, minced garlic (I like to use a garlic press), the rest of the jar of marinara, and the cream cheese. Throw in a couple of bay leaves, some Italian Seasoning, a little crushed red pepper flakes (or a lot, depending on your love of spice), and some salt and pepper. Put the lid on your crock pot and cook on high for about 3 hours, or on low for about 6.

When it’s almost time for dinner, cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions (I like to use Cellentani, which is like a thin tube/corkscrew), making sure to salt your water. While the pasta is cooking, remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it, then add it back in. Chop some spinach and some fresh basil, and throw that in the crock pot at well, giving everything a good stir until the cream cheese is blended in and the spinach starts to wilt. If the cream cheese isn’t fully smooth, don’t panic! It’ll be fine once you add the pasta, which you should do once it’s done cooking and been drained. Give everything a good stir, taste for seasoning, and serve topped with some shredded mozzarella and/or parmigiana.

Looking for more pasta recipes? Try one of these!

Chicken and Sausage Pasta

Asparagus and Prosciutto Penne

Summer Vegetable Angel Hair

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Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Crock Pot meals are the perfect way to feed a crowd on a busy day, and this Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce is sure to become a family favorite!

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Basil, Chicken, cream cheese, crock pot, marinara, pasta, slow cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Breast Tenders Approx.
• 1 Onion, diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 25 oz Jarred Marinara
• 12 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Cups Spinach, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1 lb Pasta, such as penne or cellentani
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

• Pour a small amount of the jarred marinara into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread it around to act as a bed. Add in the chicken tenders, onions, garlic, the rest of the marinara, Italian Seasoning, bay leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and finish with the cream cheese.
• Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3.
• When the time is up, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred, then add back in.
• Stir in the spinach, basil, and cooked, drained pasta. Taste for seasoning. Serve topped with shredded mozzarella.

The post Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Ah, summertime, how I love you. Well…most years anyway. This year has been a little rough because, thanks to pregnancy number two, it’s like I’ve got my own little built in furnace happening. But most years, summer is one of my absolute favorite times of year, second only to spring. Bring on that sunshine!

Cookouts, lake/pool life, refreshing summer cocktails and cold beer (well, not this year, but usually), cow shows and county fairs, longer days, and of course delicious fresh veggies from the garden! I was able to get a garden in for the first time in a couple of years, and we’ve been in veggie heaven all summer long!

I love taking advantage of what’s in season when cooking dinner. It just seems like everything tastes better that way. So, this time of year (late summer) is my favorite time to make this Summer Vegetable Angel Hair. It uses all of the wonderful things coming from the garden right now (zucchini, yellow squash, sweet corn, and tomatoes if you want them), and brightens it all up with some lemon and basil.

The inspiration for this particular recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite bloggers and cooks, The Pioneer Woman. Seriously, ya’ll, her food is amazing and perfect for manly, simple eaters and more adventurous types alike. Her Summer Stir Fry is made with a lot of the ingredients I mentioned above, but she uses shrimp and her recipe doesn’t have a starch built in. JW doesn’t care for shrimp, so I subbed chicken, and as we all know I’m pasta obsessed so I decided to toss everything with angel hair. A couple other tweaks here and there and we’ve got this super tasty, healthy, and easy dish!

Oh, and if you’re of the vegetarian persuasion, it’d be really easy to make this dish vegetarian! Just leave out the chicken and sub vegetable stock for the chicken broth. Don’t you just love versatile recipes?

How to Make Summer Vegetable Angel Hair:

I like to start out by getting everything, or as much of everything as possible, sliced and diced because once you start cooking, things move pretty quickly. So, get your pasta pot on the stove with plenty of water and salt and get it boiling. Then, dice the chicken and set aside. On a different cutting board with a clean knife, chop up the zucchini and squash, as well as any other veggies you want to add (I like to do some diced asparagus if I can find some that looks good. You might also like tomatoes, but JW doesn’t so I leave those out).

At this point you can heat some olive oil and butter in a large skillet, and start to brown the chicken. Season it with plenty of salt and a little Lowry’s Lemon Pepper if you’ve got it. The goal here is just to get some color on the chicken; it’s ok if it isn’t completely cooked through. While the chicken is browning, slice the kernels off of the ears of corn and mince the garlic.

Pro Tip: for a mess free way to slice corn kernels off of ears, take a large bowl or cake pan, and place a smaller bowl upside down in it. Placing the flat end of the corn on the smaller bowl, run your knife down the ear. Once the kernels are off of the ear, I also like to run my knife up the ear the opposite way to get some of the juices.

Once the chicken has browned, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the skillet and set it aside. Add the zucchini, squash, and then the garlic to the hot skillet. Stir around for a second, then add in the corn. If you’re using asparagus or tomatoes, add those as well. Cook for another few seconds (not too long!) then add the chicken broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any browned bits, and add the chicken back in. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add some of the basil.

When the pasta is ready, add it along with a little of the pasta water to the skillet, and toss with the veggies and chicken. Pull it off of the heat and add a little of the parmigiana and a little salt. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed. To serve, put it in bowls and top with a little more basil and parm.

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Summer Vegetable Angle Hair

When the gardens and farmers markets are full of delicious vegetables, it's time celebrate the fresh flavors of late summer with this easy and healthy Summer Vegetable Angel Hair Pasta!

Course Main

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Angel Hair, Basil, Lemon, pasta, Squash, Sweet Corn, Zucchini

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Angel Hair Pasta
• 1 lb Chicken, Diced
• 1 Zucchini, Cubed
• 1 Yellow Squash, Cubed
• 2 Ears Sweet Corn
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/3 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (approx.)
• Fresh Basil
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmigian Cheese
• Salt, Pepper to Taste

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions, making sure to liberally salt the water.
• In a large skillet, brown the diced chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once the chicken is browned, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• In the same skillet, sautee the squash, zucchini, and minced garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the corn and sautee for another 30 seconds or so.
• Add the chicken broth to the skillet, making sure to scrape the bottom to get up any brown bits. Add the diced chicken back to the skillet, as well as the lemon juice and some salt.
• When the pasta is al dente (cooked but still slightly firm), add to the skillet along with about 1/2 Cup of reserved pasta water. Toss to combine everything.
• Remove from the heat. Add 1/4 cup parmigian cheese and some chopped basil. Toss and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, cheese, lemon juice, or basil as needed.

Notes

1. You can add other veggies if you would like. I like asparagus. Tomatoes are also good.
2. This could easily be a vegetarian dish; just leave out the chicken and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken broth. 

The post Summer Vegetable Angel Hair appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Spring is easily my favorite season. I love almost everything about it, even the occasional rainy days. After a long, cold, brown winter, seeing everything slowly coming back to life, hearing the birds sing, and feeling the warm sun on my face all do my soul some real good. That’s especially true this year! We suffered an extra long winter thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting social distancing directives While I still advocate using caution, I feel like the sunnier days and blooming flowers are perking us all up a little and giving us hope that maybe one day soon life can return to some sort of semblance of normalcy. At least they are for me.

Spring is also prime asparagus season! I didn’t fully appreciate this delectable vegetable until I was in my late twenties, but now I can’t get enough of it. It may have something to do with being married to a Dutchie that used to work on an asparagus farm. The Dutch LOVE their asparagus, especially white asparagus…I’ll share that recipe with you as soon as I find some white asparagus in the market! My love for those tasty green stalks began well before I met him with this exact pasta dish.

Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta is another one of those dishes that was inspired by my time at La Scala Italian Restaurant in Lafayette. It’s based on a dish that used to be on their menu and was popular in the spring and summer months. They would also have a version that substituted salmon for the prosciutto available around Easter time; it was just as good and you could easily do the same at home! It’s a light, delicious pasta that is ready in no time!

How to Make Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta:

It’s a good idea to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking with this one, mostly because it just moves so darn fast. Once you’ve got everything diced and sliced, cook the pasta according to the package directions, making sure to salt your water well.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and butter in large skillet. Throw in the garlic and stir it around for just about a minute, being careful not to burn it. Next, toss in your diced asparagus, and give it a good stir to coat. Let it sauté for about 30 seconds or so, then stir in the prosciutto. Once that’s had a chance to sauté for another minute, add in a touch of chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan. Turn down the heat to medium/low until your pasta is ready.

Drain the pasta, making sure to reserve some pasta water, and add the pasta and about a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the skillet. Stir to get everything coated. If it’s looking a little dry, add a little bit more butter and a little bit more pasta water. There shouldn’t be any liquid in the bottom the skillet, but the pasta should look kind of shiny and well coated. Remove from the heat and toss in the parmesan.

A Note on the Cheese:

The canister of parm that we used to put on spaghetti when we were kids isn’t going to cut it here. If you can’t find parm in block form to freshly grate (I can’t where I live…I store up on it when I go to the ‘big city’ and stick it in the freezer!), the tubs of grated parm that you find at the front of most grocery stores with the other specialty cheeses will work just fine! Pile a bunch of pasta in a big bowl and move on down the road to pasta heaven!

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Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta

Satisfy your pasta craving even when the weather is warming up and you want something light with this flavor packed Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta!

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword asparagus, easy dinner, pasta, penne, prosciutto, quick meals

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb asparagus diced
• 1 4 oz package prosciutto diced
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook the penne according to the package directions, making sure the water is well salted.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted.
• Add the garlic to the skillet, cooking until fragrant. Stir in the asparagus, cooking for about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the prosciutto, allowing to cook until it starts to turn a little darker.
• Add the chicken broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
• When the pasta is finished cooking, drain but reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water in with the other ingredients in the skillet. Make sure that the pasta looks shiny and well coated, but there is no liquid in the bottom of the pan. If it seems dry, add a little more pasta water.
• Remove from the heat and toss in the Parmesan.

Notes

If you would prefer to substitute salmon for the prosciutto, simply cook two fillets of salmon your favorite way (I like to do mine in the oven), then flake into the skillet and stir carefully right before you add the cheese!

The post Prosciutto and Asparagus Pasta appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m obsessed with Italian food and wine. Part of this obsession stems from La Scala, this amazing little chef-owned Italian restaurant that I worked at while I was in college. When I say amazing, I’m not exaggerating. The food there is to. die. for. Not only is it the place that taught me to love real Italian food, but it’s the place that taught me how to love wine. Up until I started working there, I thought Boone’s Farm was the real deal…yeah.

I now live far enough away from Lafayette that I haven’t been to my favorite place in a couple of years, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still crave their food now and then! It was during one of these fits of craving that I decided to recreate one of their dishes, Miguel Angelo, and now I’m sharing the result with you! This delicious pasta dish has a very light sauce, but thanks to all of the goodies in it, it’s super hearty, flavorful, and filling. It has quickly become one of my family’s favorites…even my toddler loves it!

My version is slightly different than the original. They add a touch of their special marinara to the sauce, but I can’t recreate their marinara. When I tried adding a bit of my favorite jarred sauce to the pasta, it really didn’t taste great. So, I left it out of the recipe. The other is that since I don’t have a commercial-grade broiler, and…let’s be honest…I’m usually in a rush to get dinner on the table, I don’t generally take the time to melt the cheese on top. I just kind of throw it on there as I dish it up and let it melt on its own. At La Scala, they put it under a salamander and let the cheese get bubbly and gorgeous. If you want to take the time to do the same with your home oven broiler, feel free!

I like using sweet Italian sausage links in my recipes that call for sausage. I just cut a slit in the casing and squeeze out chunks of sausage. That way, if I don’t use all of the links, I can just freeze the rest to use at a later time. If you would rather use the loose ground stuff, feel free! It’ll taste just the same. Oh, and if you like it a little hot, go for hot Italian Sausage!

Ok, enough with the blabbering already. Let’s make some PASTA!

Cook the fettucine according to package directions, making sure to adequately salt the water (the Italians say it should be salty like the sea) and reserve a about a cup of pasta water when it’s done cooking.

In the meantime, add a touch of olive oil to a large skillet. Break the sausage into little bite-sized pieces and brown them.

Toss the cubed chicken in a little flour and salt, and add it to the pan to brown. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it aside. It’s ok if it isn’t all the way cooked through; it will cook a little more in the sauce later.

In the same pan, sauté your onions, making sure to add a pinch of salt, until they start to turn translucent. Add the bell peppers (notice that in the pictures I used yellow instead of green…it’s what I had. Green bell peppers are slightly stronger in flavor, so I suggest using them, but the sweeter red, yellow, or orange work just fine, too), mushrooms, and garlic. Stir and cook for about a minute or so, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Deglaze simply means to add the wine to the pan while it is at medium high heat while scrapping the bottom of the pan to get all of the brown bits off of the bottom. Brown bits = FLAVOR! Once the wine has cooked for a couple of minutes and reduced down a bit, add the chicken broth. Add the meat back to the pan and let cook for a minute or two, then check the seasoning; if it needs a little more salt, add it.

Once the sauce has started to thicken slightly, add the cooked fettuccine and about a ½ cup of the pasta water, along with the spinach. Toss all of this together. If it’s looking a little dry, feel free to add a touch more pasta water. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings.

When you serve it up, top it with shredded mozzarella and parmigiana. If you decide to put the pasta under a broiler to melt the cheese, you’ll want to have a little more liquid in the bowl or pan than if you are just putting the cheese on and serving it. Enjoy!!!

The post Chicken and Sausage Pasta appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.