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We made a few white pizza sauces for a client project this weekend and had some leftover ingredients. Last night Alexis and I used them to make a creamy, mouthwatering Alfredo sauce for homemade pasta.

Here is what we had to work with:

Tomato and basil jack cheese

Cooked Italian sausage

Baby spinach

Albukirky green chile dried tomatoes

Baby spinach, tomato and basil jack cheese, cook Italian sausage, and our Albukirky green chile dried tomatoes.

First, we made pasta.  We were out of our usual pasta flour but we had Bob’s Red Mill semolina flour and used the recipe on their package. 

We roll the dough with our hand-cranked pasta machine.  We were out of our usual pasta flour, but we had Bob’s Red Mill semolina flour and used the recipe on their package. It turned out fine.

Then we cut the pasta.  I meant to do fettuccine, but I grabbed the wrong set.  

Then you use a clothes rack to hang the noodles because you haven't bought a pasta drying rack yet and you never think about it until you're making pasta.

Finally, we made the sauce.

Sausage Garden Alfredo Sauce

Servings 4

Ingredients

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         1 cup chicken stock, warm

·         ¼ cup chopped green chile dried tomatoes

·         1 cup half and half

·         4 ounces Sargento’s® Tomato and Basil Jack Cheese

·         ½ cup browned Italian sausage

·         ½ cup baby spinach

·         Salt to taste

·         Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Melt the butter and then whisk in the flour to make a light blonde roux, about one minute.  Then slowly add the warm chicken stock while continuously whisking until it is all combined.  Add the green chile dried tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer for five minutes.
2. Whisk in the half-and-half.  Bring to a low simmer.  Whisk in the cheese in small batches until the cheese has all melted.
3. Add in the sausage and cook for five more minutes. 
4. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat.  Taste and add a few pinches of salt and pepper as needed.

Not bad for leftovers!