Baked spanakopita pasta with sausage
Baked Spanakopita Pasta with Sausage - all the creamy, cheesy flavor of classic Greek spanakopita turned into an easy weeknight pasta bake! Made with spinach, feta, mozzarella, and sausage for the ultimate family dinner.
PrintServings: 6
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 cups chopped spinach, Swiss chard or other mild greens (tough stems removed)
- 1 cup fresh dill or parsley leaves or a combination of both
- 6 scallions trimmed and thinly sliced, whites and dark green parts separated
- 12 ounces chicken sausage I got chicken sausage with spinach and feta! Chicken or turkey sausage would work here
- 1 pound tubular or curvy pasta like rigatoni or fusilli
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 cup) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (1 cup) grated
- 4 ounces crumbled feta (1 cup)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat oven to 450 degrees
- In a large skillet, brown cut up sausage, then add in chopped spinach, herbs, scallion greens with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook until greens are wilted. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta until 2 minutes shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
- Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and cooking water and stir until smooth. Stir in the wilted greens and sausage. Add in half the mozzarella and half the feta and stir until combined. Add in the pasta and stir.
- Transfer the pasta to a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and feta. Bake until the sauce is thick and bubbly and the top has browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crispier top, broil for a few minutes.
