One Pot Creamy Sausage and Tomato Tortellini

The Sonoran Desert
by Tara Trewinnard-Boyle

How lucky am I? I have found my home!
In the place of dust and rock where the lizards run,
Where hot winds whip and the sun sears through a lapis colored sky.
Where Saguaros march uninhibited across the arid land.
Miles and miles of emptiness: freedom.

This is the place where Mother Nature still shows her true beauty.
Wild and uncompromising, she cuts me down to my rightful size.
Teaching me to live without; demand less; appreciate more.
Silently reminding me that the race is of my own making.
I can be free.

I have found my home. Not the home I was born to but where I belong.
The ache of leaving weighs heavy in my heart.
But today I can carry with me a gift, humbly offered to all who seek.
The desert is more than a place; it is a state of mind.
It is life and death, land and sky, struggle and freedom.

Slow! Your frantic pace does not matter here.
Breathe and be grounded in your humanness.
Be still and find your small place in this vast world.
You belong, just as you are. In the silence you can find peace.
This is the gift of the desert; for which I am eternally grateful.

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Tortellini

Cook's Notes: Contrary to popular belief that Arizona is always warm we've had many chilly evenings. Tonight with a forecast of 28 a warm comforting bowl of pasta seemed like the perfect dish. And the fact it could all be made in one pot made it even more appealing. This dish was packed with flavor and ready to eat in under 30 minutes. WINNER WINNER in my book! 
Recipe serves 4 and was adapted from thegirlwhoateeverything.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2 lb ground mild Italian sausage 
• 1/2 white onion,  minced 
• 3/4 cup diced sweet mini peppers combination of orange,yellow and red
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 
• 2 TB. flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 of a 20 ounce package refrigerated spinach 3 cheese tortellini, uncooked 
  
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 cups torn spinach leaves, stems removed  
• 1/4 cup chopped basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp.dried parsley flakes
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• Optional 2 TB. white wine

Directions:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, peppers, onions and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Use a pastry cutter to crumble meat. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Move mixture to the side of the pan and wipe pan clean of grease with a paper towel.  
• Mix flour with chicken broth. To the skillet with meat add the full can of tomatoes, cream, chicken broth and flour, parsley, basil and tortellini. Stir to coat and simmer over medium heat until tortellini is cooked through about 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach leaves, cook until wilted and sauce has reduced. Optional adding in 2 TB. of white wine at the end. 
• Grate Parmesan cheese over top of the dish and serve immediately.