Gluten-Free Fusilli with Chicken, Sausage, Spinach and Leek-Miso Butter Sauce

Fusilli with Chicken, Sausage and Spinach

The pasta’s spirals hold the light sauce, while cooked chicken and sausage make this a practical leftovers meal. Adding spinach near the end keeps it tender without cooking away its color.

Ingredients

• 12 oz gluten-free fusilli, preferably the Italian pasta on hand or a rice-and-corn variety
• 10 oz cooked chicken, cut or pulled into large bite-size pieces
• 6 oz cooked gluten-free mild Italian sausage, sliced or crumbled
• 10 oz spinach, washed well, tough stems removed
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 batch Leek-Miso Broth and Butter Sauce, below

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it moderately; the miso and sausage will contribute additional salt.
2. Heat the ghee in a wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent rather than browned.
3. Meanwhile, cook the fusilli according to its package directions, checking early. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water before draining the pasta just short of fully tender. Do not rinse.
4. Add the spinach to the onion in batches, tossing just until collapsed, about 2–3 minutes. Let excess moisture evaporate if water collects in the skillet.
5. Add the chicken, sausage and prepared sauce. Warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until the leftover meats reach 165°F. Avoid a hard boil.
6. Add the drained fusilli and toss gently for 1–2 minutes, adding reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce forms a glossy coating. Stop while the sauce is slightly looser than you want on the plate.
7. Remove from the heat. Fold in the parsley, add black pepper and taste before adding any salt.

Notes

• Use fully cooked chicken and sausage for this version; raw meat needs to be cooked separately before beginning.
• Gluten-free fusilli can break with vigorous stirring. Toss gently and finish promptly rather than holding it in the hot sauce.

Leek-Miso Broth and Butter Sauce

Reduced chicken broth supplies body, butter supplies richness, and leek miso brings savory depth. Starchy pasta water helps bind them into a creamy coating without adding cream.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted or low-sodium homemade chicken broth, preferably gelatin-rich
• 2 tbsp Shared Cultures leek miso, verified gluten-free
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup reserved fusilli cooking water, plus more as needed during tossing

Instructions

1. Simmer the chicken broth in a small saucepan until reduced to about 3/4 cup, roughly 6–10 minutes. Taste as it reduces; stop earlier if it becomes noticeably salty.
2. Whisk the miso with a few spoonfuls of warm reduced broth until smooth, then stir it back into the saucepan with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water.
3. Turn the heat to its lowest setting. Whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time, adding more once the previous addition is incorporated. The sauce should look glossy and lightly creamy, not thick like a cream sauce.
4. Use immediately in the pasta skillet, keeping the heat gentle.

Notes

• Start with 1 tablespoon of miso if yours is particularly salty, then add the remainder to taste.
• If the sauce looks oily or tight, remove it from the heat and whisk in warm pasta water a tablespoon at a time.

Overall Timing / Workflow

Reducing the broth while the pasta water heats keeps the meal quick. Finishing the emulsion just before tossing prevents the sauce from sitting and separating.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Put the pasta water on, slice the onion and sausage, portion the chicken, and wash the spinach.
2. 0:10 — Start reducing the broth and soften the onion in the skillet.
3. 0:15 — Add the fusilli to the boiling water, timing it according to the package. Wilt the spinach with the onion.
4. Just before draining — Reserve pasta water and finish the miso-butter emulsion.
5. Final 5–8 minutes — Warm the meats in the sauce to 165°F, toss in the fusilli, adjust the consistency and finish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Plating

Warm, shallow bowls keep the butter emulsion fluid and show the chicken and greens among the spirals.

Instructions

1. Divide the pasta among four warmed shallow bowls, distributing the chicken, sausage and spinach evenly.
2. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Keep the finish glossy rather than soupy, with some chicken pieces and parsley visible on top.

Leftover Path

A splash of broth loosens the sauce as the pasta reheats. Gentle, brief heating limits breakage and keeps the chicken from becoming tough.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate promptly in shallow airtight containers within 2 hours. Because this meal uses cooked leftovers, count storage time from when the chicken and sausage were originally cooked; use within 3–4 days of that date.
2. Reheat only the portion needed in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of chicken broth or water. Stir gently and heat to 165°F, loosening with more liquid as needed.
3. Avoid prolonged simmering: the fusilli will soften and the butter sauce can separate.

Notes

• If the original meats are already near the end of their refrigerated storage window, prepare only what you will eat immediately.