Whole Wheat Blend Rotini with Spicy Turkey Sausage and Mustard Greens

14 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Howard L. Puckett
Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups pasta mixture)
By Jeff Violette, Oakland, Maine
March 2006
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

Finalist--Entrées. "Reducing some of the broth for the sauce and adding broth to the pasta water both deepen the flavor. I like the bite of the mustard greens and using healthy poultry sausage." -Jeff Violette, Oakland, ME

Ingredients

  • 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) package uncooked whole wheat blend rotini (corkscrew pasta)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 large)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage
  • 8 ounces bagged prewashed cut mustard greens
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 328
  • Caloriesfromfat 29%
  • Fat 10.4g
  • Satfat 4.3g
  • Monofat 3.4g
  • Polyfat 2.3g
  • Protein 20.6g
  • Carbohydrate 40.7g
  • Fiber 5.4g
  • Cholesterol 61mg
  • Iron 3.3mg
  • Sodium 635mg
  • Calcium 164mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Place 1/2 cup broth in a small saucepan over medium heat; simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat.

Step 2

Combine water and remaining broth in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat; stir in pasta. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain well; place pasta in a large bowl. Keep warm.

Step 3

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in greens; cook 2 minutes or until greens wilt. Add reduced broth, half-and-half, and cheese. Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts and mixture thickens, stirring frequently.

Step 4

Add sausage mixture to pasta, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss well to combine. Serve immediately.

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Ratings & Reviews

sukeedog's Review

BlueToBlue
February 15, 2014
N/A

BlueToBlue's Review

swankait
February 15, 2013
This is a great recipe. We use it all the time when we have a surplus of mustard greens in the garden and never get tired of it. I add shaved fennel to it to up the veggie content a bit. I've used both Romano and Parmesan cheese and either comes out great. I also use fat free half and half because that's what we have on hand (I'm not going to buy a whole thing of half and half for the small amount called for in this recipe) and cut it down to just two tbsp that I stir in after I remove the pan from the stove (if I added it while the pan was still heating, I think the fat free half and half would separate). I don't bother with the chicken broth in the pasta water--seems like a waste of chicken broth.

skspillman's Review

jemcaven2009
May 08, 2012
I followed this recipe exactly except that I used spinach instead of mustard greens. It came together quickly and was flavorful and hearty. Next time I might use one of those Flavor Boosters instead of boiling down the chicken broth.

jemcaven2009's Review

sbburris
December 31, 2011
I have made this recipe numerous times, often for when we have dinner guests. It requires a bit of work but is well worth the effort. I have always used spinach in place of the mustard greens, and often use turkey or pork sausage instead of chicken. This is great for leftovers, too!

PhDcook's Review

travelchickie
March 13, 2011
I couldn't find spicy chicken sausage so I used spicy italian pork sausage. I also substituted spinach because I already had it. I'm not sure if it was because of the sausage I used (more fat), but this was seriously yummy. I don't know what the mustard greens would do to this dish, but the spinach worked just fine.

travelchickie's Review

EPMaxwell
October 25, 2010
I LOVE this recipe! I add double greens, since they wilt so much. I've also done this with spicy chicken sausage, & it's just as yummy. The spicier the turkey sausage, the better!

swankait's Review

CyanEclipse
July 08, 2010
My boyfriend and I both loved the combination of mustard greens and spicy turkey sausage. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I would rather make it as a weeknight meal than on a special occasion, though.

EPMaxwell's Review

sukeedog
June 04, 2010
Well, I ended up buying smoked turkey sausage by mistake, but it still tasted wonderful!! This was sooo good and so easy to make. I just sliced the sausage and added it to onions & garlic just long enought to get warm and the juices flowing. I too used spinach in place of the mustard greens, which worked fine. So, my recipe wasn't spicy, but it was still full of flavor, and we will definitely make it again!

CyanEclipse's Review

skspillman
March 19, 2010
This is a really good, kid-friendly recipe. I've made it twice now with baby arugula I had on hand, and with tri-color veggie pasta. First time I made it with sweet Italian sausage and second time with chicken sausage (kid doesn't like spicy). The pecorino romano is key. I don't think it would have been as good using your run-of-the-mill romano or parmesan.

sbburris's Review

PhDcook
March 12, 2010
This honestly is probably my least favorite Cooking Light recipe so far (cooked about 30-40). It wasn't bad, but it's just kinda one of those hearty, utilitarian meals that doesn't make you go "mmmm" after every bite. My favorite part was that it allowed me to use some leftover turkey sausage from the All-American Chili recipe.