Sausage and Spinach Rice Bowl

I'm a fairly recent convert to Cooking Light magazine. I've been a subscriber now for several months and I've been very happy with the recipes I've made out of the magazine. I wasn't always so enthusiastic about this magazine as my limited experience with Cooking Light was from a 5-ingredient cookbook I had bought years ago on discount at Border's. Yes, back when Border's was the place to go. I should have realized that since it was in the bargain bin, it wouldn't be one of the best purchases, but I was cheap and trying to eat healthy. It's no brainer that recipes comprised of only a few items don't tend to be the most flavorful, but I tried just about every recipe in that book...and wasn't crazy about any of them.

Fast forward several years later and I'm in the grocery checkout aisle and I see an issue of Cooking Light magazine with some awesome looking food on the cover. I picked it up and after perusing its contents, had a change of heart. So now I'm a subscriber and a believer. The good thing about Cooking Light in its present form is that while it is light, it doesn't sacrifice flavor like some of their recipes back in the day. Having said that, some may feel these recipes aren't super healthy, but I think they strike a happy medium.

Last week I made one of the recipes in the section 40 Meals under 40 minutes. I've made a few of these before and have been happy with each one, not just due to taste, but they actually are able to be made in under 40 minutes. This one took 20 minutes from start to finish. Take that, Rachel Ray.

Sausage and Spinach Rice Bowl (serves 3)

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice

1 TB olive oil

6 oz hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 (6 oz) package fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup of shredded or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Cook rice according to directions.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add spinach; cook 30 seconds or until spinach begins to wilt, tossing constantly.

Stir in rice; cook 1 minute or until heated. Sprinkle with cheese.