Creamy Chorizo and Spinach Pasta

This is one of our absolute favorite weeknight pasta recipes.  We use freshly made chorizo from the store or local butcher, fresh tomatoes, spinach, red bell pepper, onions, and more great, flavorful ingredients. 

This chorizo pasta recipe is packed with nutrients from the veggies, but has all of the comforting, spicy creaminess from the chorizo and sauce.  This simple pasta dish is an easy meal that makes about four servings, mainly because we also love it as leftovers! But the whole family will love it if you have more than two mouths to feed. 🙂

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS CHORIZO SPINACH PASTA RECIPE:

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 cup fresh Cherry Tomatoes
• ½ of a large Red Bell Pepper
• ½ of a medium Yellow Onion
• Kosher Salt & freshly cracked Black Pepper
• ½ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ lb. fresh Mexican Chorizo (best quality – see notes)
• ½ tsp. Sugar
• ½ cup Half & Half (or whole milk, or cream)
• 1 ½ cups dried Medium Shells Pasta (or your favorite)
• 4 cups tightly packed Fresh Baby Spinach
• ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
• Pasta Water (be sure to save it!)
• 1 or 2 Lemon Wedges

Mexican Chorizo vs. Spanish Chorizo

Mexican Chorizo is raw, uncooked, slightly spicy pork sausage with flavors of chiles and vinegar, and lots of seasonings (and red bell peppers). It’s a savory sausage with just a little bit of heat (depending on the recipe), and it can be cooked just like breakfast pork sausage.

Spanish Chorizo is cured sausage, so it is not fresh. It can have a consistency similar to salami or pepperoni (which is considered fully cooked and dry), or semi-cured and soft. It’s not quite as spicy as Mexican chorizo, and it’s great for charcuterie platters!

IMPORTANT INGREDIENT NOTES & RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Use the freshest vegetables you can find.  This does make a difference in flavor, I promise!  Try to grab these ingredients on the same day you make the pasta, or a day before (if you can).  This is particularly important for the spinach.
• Look for Mexican chorizo that is behind the meat counter.  We want freshly made Mexican chorizo that resembles ground pork (or beef) for this recipe.  If you have a store that makes chorizo in the meat department and sells it by the pound, I would definitely recommend purchasing it.  I actually prefer the Mexican chorizo from Whole Foods; it has a really awesome cinnamon note, and it’s always super fresh.  The chorizo you use makes a big difference in this recipe, so if you can find some really good stuff, buy it!  Purchasing it by the pound is also so helpful when you only need half a pound. 🙂
• Half and half, whole milk, and heavy cream are interchangeable in this recipe.  Half and half is an equal blend of milk and cream, so it offers the richness of the cream with fewer calories per serving.  Whole milk doesn’t offer as much flavor, but still lends a luxurious creamy texture to this recipe.  Heavy cream is full of rich flavor, but comes with the calories, too.  Use whichever you’re most comfortable with or craving!
• Use good Parmesan Cheese.  This is another thing that I talk about a lot; good Parmesan is worth it.  I actually buy a chunk from Whole Foods (I like to buy things there that really are worth it!), and it costs me $5.  That $5 chunk lasts us for at least 5-6 meals, so it’s an easy choice to make that really steps up the flavor of your recipes.
• Save your pasta water!!  Don’t dump out that liquid gold!  It’s actually easy to save it for this recipe, because you use a slotted spoon to scoop the cooked shells directly into the creamy chorizo sauce.  The shells will already transfer over some of the pasta water inside of them, and that’s a good thing.  Save the rest of the pasta water so you can make the sauce even creamier if you want!
• Don’t skip the lemon juice.  It may seem odd, but the fresh lemon juice at the end adds a touch of acidity that really balances the creamy, rich flavors in this dish.  It won’t make it taste lemon-y, I promise.  It just make the whole dish taste better. 🙂

STEPS TO MAKING THIS CHORIZO PASTA:

I like to keep this part easy to follow and to-the-point, so I’ll break it down into five main steps.

1. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, and finely chop the bell pepper and onion.  Cook all of them in olive oil (with a pinch of salt and crushed red pepper) over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes until softened.

2. Start cooking your pasta at this point.  Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions, but stop cooking it one minute before the directions say to.  This should get done around the same time as the creamy chorizo sauce.  

3. Add the chorizo and garlic to the pan.  Cook, breaking the chorizo up into small pieces, for about 5-6 minutes until the chorizo is browned and cooked through.  Sprinkle in the sugar, and stir to mix it in completely.  Stir in the half and half until it’s absorbed into the chorizo. 

4. Stir the fresh spinach into the chorizo until it has totally wilted down and mixed in.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta shells directly into the chorizo pan.  Stir to coat them in the chorizo and spinach. 

5. Turn the heat off from under the pan, and stir in the parmesan.  If you want a creamier sauce, add some pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, until it’s the consistency you like.  Squeeze in some fresh lemon, and stir to combine.  Serve hot!

If you’re new to my blog, I love to pair wine with food whenever possible.  My fiancé sells wine for a living, and I work in a boutique wine shop part time (mainly just to pay for my wine costs.) 🙂 We are passionate about it, and I am a full believer that wine and food can blend together and elevate one another.  Here are my favorite wine pairings for this creamy chorizo spinach pasta:

WINE PAIRINGS FOR CHORIZO PASTA:

Make this a Meal:

• Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing
• Steakhouse Caesar Dressing for Two
• Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread

If you make this pasta and love it, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see! Or leave a comment & rating below so I know how it went for you!  And as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

Cheers to your dinner tonight, and cheers to your creamy chorizo spinach pasta!

xx Sara