Sausage, Spinach & Goat Cheese with Orzo

For the past few weeks I have been really fascinated by pasta and all the possibilities that are out there. I also have had a desire to give turkey sausage a try and tonight was the night for some experimentation. I found this dish to be filling, extremely tasty and decadent without being heavy. The heat of the sausage is cut by the creaminess of the goat cheese while the spinach adds a green element to your plate helping to make a well rounded meal. You can feel free to spice this up with more red pepper flakes or tone it down by using mild sausage and lessening or eliminating the pepper flakes. Just as a thought but the sausage, spinach, onions and goat cheese could also be made as a lasagna roll up or stuffed shell stuffing.

Sausage, Spinach & Goat Cheese over Orzo: Serves 4

8oz Orzo (or other small shaped pasta if you cannot find Orzo)
2 Hot Italian Turkey Sausage Links (approx 3-4oz each)
4oz Goat Cheese
1TB Olive Oil
12oz Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper
(1C Water from Pasta)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the Orzo. Please note that the Orzo will more than triple in size so make sure your pot is large enough! Once the water is boiling add the Orzo and cook until al dente. Reserve 1C of the pasta water, drain the orzo and leave in the colander while you finish the other ingredients.

While the Orzo is cooking you can get started on everything else. Remove the sausage from the casings and place in a large saute pan over medium heat and brown. Once cooked remove to the side. Add onions to the skillet and cook until they start to caramelize, then remove to join the sausage.

In the same saute pan over high heat add 1C of the pasta water and all of the fresh spinach with some salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place a lid on the spinach and cook stirring occasionally until wilted, note the spinach will shrink to be about 20% of its original size. Drain the spinach and add it to the bowl of sausage and onions.

Now that you have the main parts cooked it is time to put it all together. In the pasta pot add olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds, add the spinach, sausage and onions and toss to coat and heat through. Once the mixture has heated through add the orzo and stir to distribute the meat mixture evenly. Turn the heat off and with a fork rake the goat cheese into the pasta, stir to melt and coat the pasta. Serve immediately.

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving