• 1 lb. chicken sausages in casing. GO SPICY if u dare.
• 1½ cups mirepoix – chopped celery, carrot, and onion*
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons ground oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans
• 28 ounces chicken broth
• 1 lb. small pasta – I used orchiette
• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
• shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping

1. Remove the chicken from its casing. In a large pot, brown the chicken sausage over medium high heat and drain the excess grease. Set aside.
2. Crush the San Marzano tomatoes and sauce in a food processor and set aside. Drain the cannellini beans. Place in a food processor. Refill the can with water, add to the food processor, and puree until very smooth.
3. In the same large pot as step one, saute the mirepoix, garlic, oregano, salt, and bay leaf (with a little olive oil if needed) until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, pureed beans, and broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. Saucy.
4. Add the pasta and simmer for another 20 minutes until pasta is cooked through as sauce is reduced. Throw in the baby spinach and the chicken sausage from step one. If needed, add water or broth to adjust the consistency of the pasta before serving. Top with cheese.
5. Save some for lunch tomorrow. It makes awesome leftovers.

Notes

*You don’t have to, but it really does save time to buy prechopped mirepoix (just carrots, celery, and onion). I bought some at Trader Joe’s in the produce section and it was super fresh and cut down on prep time and number of ingredients I needed to buy on a busy weeknight! Thumbs up to that.