I love experimenting with new recipes, so today I decided to challenge myself by making dinner using only what I had in my kitchen, without making a trip to Wal-Mart or the farmer’s market. As I opened the fridge, I aimlessly scanned the contents, trying to convince myself that this challenge wasn’t a bad idea, even though I hadn’t gone grocery shopping over the weekend.
I spotted a big packet of baby spinach and a small turkey kielbasa. (For those unfamiliar, kielbasa is a Polish sausage that’s quite flavorful, made from pork, beef, turkey, or a combination of all three). With these ingredients in hand, I shuffled over to my pantry and discovered some garlic and a packet of whole wheat angel hair pasta. I wasn’t in the mood for a creamy pasta dish, and my husband isn’t a fan of tomato-based sauces (not that I had any tomatoes on hand anyway).
So, I decided to try making some Asian-inspired noodles using what I had. I quickly grabbed some soy sauce and headed to the kitchen. The final result was a delicious and unique noodle dish. It was relatively healthy too, thanks to the whole wheat pasta and spinach. The only indulgent part might have been the sausage, but since it was made from turkey, I figured it wasn’t too bad!
Here’s the recipe I came up with:
Ingredients:
1 packet whole wheat angel hair pasta
2-3 cups baby spinach (washed)
1 cup turkey kielbasa sausage, chopped into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Heat a pan and add a few drops of olive oil. Stir-fry the sausages until they’re cooked, then set them aside to drain on a kitchen towel. The sausages won’t need much oil since they’ll release some fat as they cook.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Once done, drain it and toss with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Set it aside.
In the same pan used for cooking the sausages, add a bit more olive oil and sauté the chopped garlic. Next, add the spinach and stir-fry it. I didn’t wilt the baby spinach much since it tastes great even when slightly raw, but if you’re using regular spinach, make sure to cook it thoroughly.
Add the cooked sausage back to the pan and mix well. Start by adding 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, adjusting based on how salty or strong your soy sauce is. Add the pepper powder and then toss in the cooked angel hair pasta, making sure everything is well combined.
Serve immediately.
Notes:
I didn’t add any additional herbs or spices because I used a mushroom-flavored soy sauce, which has a rich flavor. However, regular soy sauce works just as well.
The kielbasa adds a wonderful flavor to the dish.
If you plan to keep the pasta for a while before serving, toss it in some olive oil and cover it to prevent it from drying out.
Feel free to add any spices or herbs you like.
For a vegetarian version, simply omit the sausage and add more vegetables of your choice.
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