Monday, September 26, 2011

Veggies? Check. Sauce? Check. Meat? Check. Pasta? Oh yeah.

Sausage, Tomato and Arugula Fettuccine Lush tomatoes, spicy meat and flavorful arugula combine to create a healthy and delicious pasta



Ingredients:

-9 ounces fettuccine or linguine

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-6 ounces Italian turkey sausage

-2 teaspoons minced garlic

-1 pint cherry tomatoes

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon black pepper

-3 cups baby arugula leaves
-2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, shaved


Directions:

-Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2/3 cup cooking liquid.


-While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage if necessary. Break sausage into bite-sized pieces and add to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently to crumble. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes.


-Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to break them up. Cover pan; reduce heat to low and cook 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta, reserved 2/3 cup cooking liquid and arugula; toss well. Sprinkle with Romano cheese. Yields 4 servings.


Nutrition info: 356 calories per serving


Cheers! Try a good chianti or a good Italian companion.


Origin: Cooking Light strikes again!


Notes: Arugula is delicious but can be fairly peppery and strong, so you may want to use a little less. If you're not a fan of that taste, spinach will do fine. Also, the original recipe calls for fettucine, but I've found that linguine is a little lighter and works great. Also, sausage links work well - we prefer chicken sausage - so that may be another option rather than heavier sausage.