Rustic sausage and spinach spaghetti with crispy garlic herb breadcrumbs is an easy meal to feed a crowd. Mild Italian sausage with red bell pepper, onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, and fresh spinach make a lovely hearty meal. Top with the crispy garlic herb breadcrumbs for texture and another layer of flavor.

Remember that baked goat cheese dip that made a resurgence before New Year’s Eve?

It was a favorite of ours from a little restaurant where we used to live.

The times back before my children became picky eaters.

This restaurant had weekly specials.

I was always ordering the weekly specials. They never disappointed.

Mike stuck to his usual order of gnocchi in tomato bechamel.

I always thought it was more of a vodka sauce, but hey, not my menu.

The only time I stuck with the main menu items was when I ordered a rustic sausage and spinach pasta.

It is filling, comforting, and spicy.

Why haven’t I made this for you guys yet?

Here is what I used for the basic “sauce”:

• ground mild Italian sausage
• red belle pepper
• yellow onion
• minced garlic
• crushed red pepper flakes
• canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• tomato paste
• reserved pasta water
• fresh baby spinach salt and pepper to taste

It is really easy, right?

The thing I love about this whole recipe is the crispy garlic breadcrumbs on top.

I usually like to load up on the grated cheese on top of any pasta.

I love it, my digestive system says otherwise.

Crispy garlic breadcrumbs made with:

• panko bread crumbs
• butter
• herbs of your choosing
• grated garlic
• salt and pepper

Toast them up in a pan until deeply golden.

Keep it low and slow and they should be golden by the time your pasta is cooked.

There might be some leftovers with this meal.

I sometimes set the tomato sauce with the sausage and spinach off to the side and use it to top pizzas or make french bread pizzas later.

I know that you will have breadcrumb leftovers.

Try them tossed with noodles and my easy lemon vinaigrette.

It is a light and fresh way to use up all the leftovers from my recipes over the last 2 weeks.

Rustic sausage and spinach spaghetti will make most of your family happy at dinner time.

Unless they are a vegetarian and/or picky eaters like my children.

Rustic Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti

Yield: Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A rustic pasta dish made from ground Italian sausage, onion, bell pepper, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and spinach. Top with crispy garlic breadcrumbs for another layer of texture and flavor.

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Ingredients

• For the Pasta:
• 16 oz spaghetti
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb mild ground Italian sausage
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1, red bell pepper, diced
• 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 1, 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 5 oz fresh baby spinach
• For the topping:
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp fresh or dried herbs like rosemary or thyme or oregano
• 1 garlic clove, grated

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
2. While the water starts to heat up, add the olive oil to a large deep sided skillet over medium/high. Add the sausage and brown for about 10 minutes, Break the sausage into bite-sized pieces as they cook and brown.
3. Add the garlic, and crushed red pepper along with some slat and pepper to the sausage. Mix to combine. Continue to brown and break apart the sausage for 3-5 more minutes.
4. Add the onion and bell pepper to the sausage. Turn the heat down to medium./ Cook for about 5-7 minutes until tender.
5. At this point the water should be boiling. Drop the spaghetti into the pasta water and boil according to the packaging instructions.
6. Mix in the Tomato paste to the sausage and veggies and cook for a minute or two.
7. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup or so of the pasta cooking liquid. Mix to combine.
8. Add all the baby spinach to the sausage and stir to combine until it starts to wilt. Reduce the heat to low. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.
9. In a separate small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce to low and add the breadcrumbs, herbs, and garlic. Mix to combine. Toast the breadcrumbs for about 10-12minutes over low heat until golden. Once golden, remove from heat quickly and transfer to a small dish off to the side.
10. Once the noodles are tender, use tongs to transfer them right into the sausage and spinach tomato sauce. Toss to combine and evenly coat.
11. Serve the pasta with a few tablespoons of the breadcrumbs on top. Grated parmesan is optional.

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