Sausage and Spinach Puffs

Seems that since the start of this school year, I've constantly felt like my commitments are heavier than I intended them to be. I'm working hard on some PTA projects for My Boys' school in addition to helping with daily homework and running them to after school activities. It's all good stuff, but it can be a bit exhausting. In another week or so, things should settle down - at least a little bit!

With all the crazy afternoons, I'm constantly in search of quick and easy dinner ideas that everyone will enjoy. I found a recipe in Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats for Rachael Ray's Sausage and Spinach Puffs. I've never worked with puff pastry before, but decided that it couldn't be worse than working with phyllo dough.

I ended up not really following the recipe, which means it definitely took only about 30 minutes to make these tasty puffs. I used the recipe as a starting point, and the result was a dinner that I'm planning to repeat again this weekend!

From Family, Friends and Food

I ended up not adding too many seasonings to the sausage since the brand I use is very flavorful on it's own. It would be so simple to vary the ingredients on this and get your kids to eat all different veggies - just cut them up so that they don't notice them!

This is a filling meal on it's own, but you could also add a light salad to go along with it. We didn't have any leftovers this time, but I hope to have some next time so I can see how this one reheats. If you have a busy night coming up, it would be simple to prep it ahead of time by cooking the sausage and then refrigerating it until time to assemble.

Sausage & Spinach Puffs

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet turkey sausage, casings removed
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 packages puff pastry (each package has 2 sheets)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up with a spatula as it cooks. It should be broken up into small bits. Once completely cooked, remove from heat and put in a large bowl.

Add drained spinach to the sausage. Then add the Paremsan Cheese and combine completely.

Cut each pastry sheet in half so that each one is now 2 rectangles. Place about 3/4 cup of the sausage mixture at one end of the pastry sheet. Roll up, making sure to enclose the mixture fully. Repeat until all pastry sheets have been used, and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

Cut a 2-inch vent in each puff with a sharp knife. Cook for about 18-22 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

Serves 4-6.


Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.