A revolutionary pasta dish featuring a vibrant, savory spinach sauce, spicy sausage, and sweet peppers, proving that the best traditions are the ones you create yourself.
Let’s talk about spaghetti. For most of us, the word conjures a very specific image: long noodles tangled in a rich, red tomato sauce, perhaps dotted with meatballs or mushrooms. It’s a classic for a reason—it’s a cornerstone of comfort food. But here at Edible Intelligence, we love to ask, “What if?” What if we took the comfort of a hearty pasta dish and painted it with a completely different color, a completely different flavor profile? That question led to this recipe, a dish that will redefine what you think is possible with a bowl of pasta.
Forget everything you know about traditional sauces for a moment. Instead, imagine a sauce the color of emeralds, with the savory, earthy depth of fresh spinach, blended into a velvety, luxurious coating for your favorite noodles. We’re taking inspiration from the texture of saag, that incredible Indian spinach dish, but thinning it out just enough to create a perfect, clinging sauce that weaves its way around every strand of pasta. It’s vibrant, it’s bold, and it’s utterly delicious.
This verdant sauce is the star, but the supporting cast is just as crucial. To cut through the earthy spinach, we need something with a punch of savory spice. Enter the sausage. We’re giving you options here: a classic, fennel-flecked Italian sausage brings a familiar, comforting warmth, while a spicy Andouille sausage adds a distinct, smoky Cajun kick. Or better yet, why not use both? Sautéed with sweet diced onions and a confetti of red and yellow bell peppers, this mixture creates a foundation of flavor that is both rustic and robust. The sweetness of the peppers and the sharp bite of the onion are the perfect counterpoint to the rich sausage.
We’re all about customization, so we’re throwing in some optional-but-highly-recommended finishing touches. A handful of salty, briny black olives or the tangy, bright heat of banana peppers can elevate this dish to another level, adding little bursts of flavor that make every bite an adventure.
The final dish is a masterpiece of contrasts. The smooth, green sauce against the hearty, colorful chunks of sausage and peppers. The earthy flavor of the spinach brightened by the spice of the sausage. It’s a dish that feels both incredibly innovative and deeply comforting. So grab your favorite long noodle—be it classic spaghetti, flat fettuccine, or delicate angel hair—and get ready to create a new pasta night tradition.
Emerald Spaghetti
Yields: 4-6 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb your favorite long pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, etc.)
1 lb Italian sausage and/or Andouille sausage, casings removed if necessary
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small can mushrooms, sliced
10 oz fresh baby spinach
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1/4 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional additions: 1/2 cup sliced black olives or 1/4 cup sliced banana peppers
Optional garnish: Red pepper flakes
Instructions:
Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add your chosen pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, carefully reserve about 2 cups of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Sauté Sausage & Veggies: While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Add the diced onion and bell peppers to the skillet with the sausage and its rendered fat. Continue to sauté for another 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and tender.
Create the Emerald Spinach Sauce: While the sausage and veggies cook, prepare the sauce. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the fresh spinach and blanch for just 30-60 seconds, until wilted and bright green. Immediately remove the spinach with a slotted spoon and plunge it into the ice water to stop the cooking process and lock in the color. Once cool, squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
Blend the Sauce: Transfer the blanched, squeezed spinach to a blender. Add the garlic cloves, heavy cream (or coconut milk), and Parmesan cheese. Blend on high until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved pasta water to thin it to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine and Finish: Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the sausage and pepper mixture. Pour the emerald spinach sauce over the top. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir or toss everything together vigorously over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce emulsifies with the pasta water, creating a glossy coating on the noodles. If adding, fold in the optional black olives or banana peppers.
Serve: Divide the pasta among bowls. Top with extra grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little extra heat, if desired.
Calories: ~650 kcal
Protein: ~30g
Fat: ~35g
Carbohydrates: ~55g
This dish is a vibrant celebration of creativity in the kitchen. It’s a delicious reminder that even the most beloved classics have room for reinvention. The flavors are complex, the colors are beautiful, and the process is a rewarding journey that ends in a truly spectacular meal. It might not be your grandmother’s spaghetti, but after one bite, it might just become a new tradition in your own family. It’s a conversation starter, a feast for the eyes, and most importantly, a deeply satisfying and delicious bowl of pasta. We hope you enjoy stepping outside the box with this recipe as much as we enjoyed creating it. Happy cooking!
