Ingredients: (serves 1-2)

• olive oil (at least 1 tbsp)

• 2-3 cloves of garlic minced

• 1 cup of baby spinach

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced

• 1.5 Tbsp of flour

• 1 tsp of Italian seasoning

• 1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika

• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

• 1.5 cups vegetable broth (depends on pan depth)

• 2 Italian sausage links (remove the minced sausage for the links or purchased minced sausage)

• 2-3 cups of cheese tortellini (I measure out the amount of tortellini to take by just placing an even layer of the uncooked tortellini in the pan I will be using)

• 2-3 oz of heavy cream (the amount I add is based on the desired color I am looking for in my sauce, usually a light brown)

• 1/3 - 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (save some for garnish)

• salt and papper to taste (typically I don’t have to add any salt or pepper to this dish)

Kit Needed:

1 pan (at least 7-8 in), gas or alcohol stove, spatula, aluminum foil to set the cooked sausage aside

Packing Tips:

Bag and freeze the sausage meat the night before you leave. The sausage will then thaw throughout your hike. I combine the Italian seasoning, paprika, and chilli flakes into a small spice container as they are all added at the same time to the dish. Everything then goes into a large ziplock bag (this does get reused often if it is not used as a garbage bag)

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in your pan on medium high heat.

2. Add the minced sausage to the pan. Break apart the sausage as it cooks. Cook until browned.

3. While the sausage is cooking mince the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes. Save the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to add to the pan later. This oil contains a lot of flavor.

4. Once the sausage has been browned remove and carefully wrap it in aluminum foil. We will add the sausage back to the pan later. Do not wipe the pan.

5. Now it's time to start building the marry me sauce. Add about one tsp of the oil you saved from the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and then the garlic. Cook until fragrant (about 1-2 min). Now add the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika and chili flakes to the pan. Mix together and cook for another minute until fragrant.

6. Now it’s time to create the roux. Add the flour to your pan and mix to combine. Cook for about 2 min.

7. Add the vegetable broth to the pan and bring it to a boil. Cook for 3-4 mins until the sauce begins to thicken. When camping I like to use vegetable stock cubes or gels so that I do not need to carry separate liquids. Just make sure you use the appropriate amount. These cubes or gels will typically make around 500ml of broth so you do not need to use the entire thing.

8. Once your sauce has thickened, add the tortellini to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or as your tortellini specifies and turn off the heat. Because it was really cold out on my camp I kept the heat on low.

9. Now it’s time to add the sausage back to the pan. Stir to combine.

10. Once combined add the cream, Parmesan cheese and spinach. Carefully fold to combine until the spinach has wilted. Add a little parmesan cheese to the top. Season to taste. Enjoy!