pasta with a sausage-tomato sauce

Rotini with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Serves 4.  This quick pasta comes from the May 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  You can make the sauce while the pasta boils. 

            8 oz. uncooked rotini or fusilli               1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano

            cooking spray                                       ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

            3 (4-oz.) sweet turkey or chicken          4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

              Italian sausage links, casings                2 c. canned crushed tomatoes

              removed                                             ½ tsp. sugar

            1½ c. finely chopped arugula, or           ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

              spinach, divided                                  ¼ tsp. kosher salt

            1 c. minced onion                                 4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add sausage to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add 1 c. arugula, onion, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling salted water for 7-10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain pasta, reserving 1 c. cooking liquid.

Add reserved 1 c. pasta cooking liquid, tomatoes, sugar, black pepper, and salt to sausage; bring to a boil.  Add pasta; cook 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining arugula.  Divide among 4 shallow bowls; top with Parmesan cheese.