I made up some spaghetti sauce out of turkey Italian sausage. At the last minute, Sherry said it was okay with her if we decide not to serve it over pasta. So – I added a bag of pre-rinsed spinach right at the very end. Then I cooked it just long enough to wilt it.

There is no reason this wouldn’t work with any good sausage.

Ingredients 

1 large yellow onion, diced
2 yellow sweet peppers, cleaned and diced
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2  14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried basil1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 links turkey Italian sausage
16 ounce bag cleaned and washed spinach
cotijo cheese, grated

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet or Dutch oven (You’ll need a lid.). Cook onion in the hot oil, turning constantly. Add peppers. Continuing stirring frequently for a few minutes. Then add the  mushrooms. Stir for a couple of minutes to blend well.

Add tomatoes with their juice. Stir to blend. Add the bay leaves. Cook for a few minutes; then reduce heat to a simmer.

Add pepper, sugar, basil, and garlic powder; and mix well. Cover pot and allow to cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add liquid if needed.

When vegetables are nearly tender, remove the sausage from its casing and add to the pot. Stir into the mixture; then cover. Allow to cook until the meat is no longer pink (probably 15 minutes or so).

Fold the spinach into the pan handful at a time; allowing each batch to wilt a bit if necessary to make room for more. Continue until all the spinach has been incorporated into the mixture. Remove from heat and toss well to wilt the spinach.

Serve immediately with grated Cotija cheese as garnish.