Creamy Venison Sausage and Spinach Pasta

Especially another fancy pasta that my Mama gave me, mixed with smoked venison sausage. Spinach-Basil Garlic Linguine. WHAT?! I know, right?? And since this recipe already called for spinach, it was the perfect pasta choice! Of course, most any pasta shape/flavor would work well in this dish, so use what you like or have on hand.

The original recipe calls for chicken sausage, which would also be delicious. I imagine most varieties of sausage would work well, in fact. The sauce is creamy and not overwhelming. All of the flavors in the dish are able to shine through without being overrun by any of the other ingredients. It’s chock full of protein, veggies, and a nice creamy sauce. What more could you want for dinner?? So, pick your sausage, pick your pasta and get this made!!

• ½ lb dry pasta of your choice (I used Spinach-Basil Garlic Linguine – yum!)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 12 oz smoked venison sausage (or your sausage of choice), sliced into 1/4″ rounds
• 5 oz fresh spinach
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions to. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
3. If your sausage needs to be cooked at all, do that now. I cut mine into rounds, and then in half again (like little half-moons) and cooked in a skillet for just a couple of minutes, until they were browned nicely.
4. Add the sausage and spinach to the top of the mixture and cover the pan for 2-3 minutes to allow the spinach to start wilting.Stir the sausage and spinach into the mixture and re-cover for another minute.
5. Once all of the spinach has just wilted, stir the mascarpone and Parmesan into the pan until melted and a creamy sauce is formed. Stir in the pasta until well-coated with the sauce.
6. If the sauce is too thick, use the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, to thin it to your liking.