Receta Sausage and spinach rice bowl: a recipe
Sausage and spinach rice bowl
I used to live in Southern California. The famed "OC", in fact -- although no one called it that except the fools on that TV show.
One of my favorite things about living there was that you could get healthy fast food. Clearly I'm not talking about In-N-Out (which I used to call "In, Wait Around for a Wicked Long Time, N Then Out"). There was a cool fresh Tex-Mex place called La Salsa (I think), and of course the almighty Wahoo's, home of the fish taco.
(I still have never eaten a fish taco. The combination just scared me too much.)
Besides fish tacos, Wahoo's made these fast and yummy rice bowls. Ever since we moved away (can it be nearly 10 years? Good lord, I'm getting older faster), I've made my own version of those rice bowls for a fast lunch or dinner. Put some warm cooked rice in a bowl, add some seasoned grilled chicken (black beans optional) and top it off with a couple of big spoonfuls of pico de gallo. Delish.
(Hmmm ... I think that might make some this weekend. And turn it into a blog post. Not to let the cat out of the bag too much.)
This rice bowl recipe from Cooking Light reminded me of that Wahoo's dish, but with an East Coast versus West Coast twist. It is still winter here in Vermont (although you'd never know it, with all the 80+ degree days we've had this week), so sausage and spinach seem more seasonally appropriate right now.
You know what I'm talking about: "Sunny lunchtime again? Let's eat a chicken and rice bowl on the beach" versus "Plow guy again? Let's eat a sausage and rice bowl in front of the fire."
Additionally, you can file this one under ridiculously fast and easy to prepare, due to the inclusion of boil-in-bag rice, which makes it perfect for the weeknight dinner rotation. Even making fresh rice wouldn't increase the prep time all that much.
(By the way, I believe I warned you early on that I abuse parentheses. They just seem to represent me, talking out of the side of my mouth to make smart-ass comments, as I am wont to do...)
Sausage and Spinach Rice Bowl (adapted from a recipe by Jackie Newgent in Cooking Light)
Note: The hot Italian sausage I buy is plenty hot for me. If you'd like a hotter dish, feel free to add a little crushed red pepper while cooking the sausage.
Ingredients:
- 1 package boil-in-bag rice (white or brown, your choice), or 2 cups of cooked rice
- 8 ounces hot Italian sausage (remove the casings if using links)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5-6 ounces (basically 1 bag) baby spinach
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring to crumble, about 5 minutes or until cooked. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook for about 30 seconds, or until it begins to wilt. Add the cooked rice to the pan and heat thoroughly. Serve sprinkled with cheese.