Easy Sausage and Pasta Dinner

This recipe is based on this recipe for Eating Well. However, I used pork sausage, added spinach, changed a couple amounts/times, and changed the mixing order - if you make it precisely as Eating Well instructs, you will have a mass of sticky cheese instead an evenly mixed result. My version is below.

Sausage & Arugula/Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole-wheat short pasta (about 7/8 of a package)
• 2 links of hot Italian pork sausage, removed from casings
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bag of arugula and baby spinach salad mix
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste (could use Pecorino Romano)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, according to package directions (6-8 minutes for the whole wheat elbow macaroni I used). 
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, arugula and spinach, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the greens wilt and the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and keep warm.
3. Combine pepper and salt in a large bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid; drain the pasta. Whisk the cooking liquid and oil together; add the pasta and toss to combine. Next, add the 1/2 cup cheese. Serve the pasta topped with the sausage mixture and an extra sprinkle of cheese, if desired.