Recipe: Vermicelli with Sausage and Spinach

the appetizer:

Better Homes and Gardens^®
New Cook Book, 15th Edition includes excerpts and recipes like Bakeware; Roasted Fennel and Onions; Braised Fennel with Dill; Pesto-Stuffed Pork Chops; and Vermicelli with Sausage and Spinach.

Vermicelli with Sausage and Spinach

Start to finish: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings

1 pound cooked smoked sausage,
halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
8 ounces packaged dried vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken in half
1 9-ounce package fresh prewashed baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup whipping cream

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook sausage, onion, and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat until sausage is lightly browned and onion is tender.

2. Add broth and water to Dutch oven; bring to boiling. Add pasta; cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add spinach and pepper; cook about 1 minute more or until spinach wilts. Stir in cream. Serve immediately.

Per 1-3/4 cups, 689 cal., 43 g total fat (16 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat), 97 mg chol., 1,470 mg sodium, 50 g carbo., 4 g fiber, 26 g pro. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 3 Starch, 2 High-Fat Meat, 5 Fat

Love Those Leftovers

These tips will transform one night's extras into a fresh meal.

Cook up a pasta. Use the recipe above as a guideline, omitting the smoked sausage. Stir in reheated leftover cooked meat when you add the spinach.
Toss up a salad. Add roasted meat to fresh lettuces, vegetables, a sprinkling of cheese, and your favorite salad dressing.
Stir up a soup. Cook pasta in beef or chicken broth until tender, adding frozen vegetables the last few minutes of cooking time. Add leftover meat; heat through.
Fashion some French bread sandwiches. Sliced lengthwise, the long loaves are great for piling with leftover meat and topping with cheeses. Run under the broiler for terrifically tasty open-face sandwiches.