PASTA WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE & GREENS

In a classic Italian pasta dish, the pasta is not loaded with sauce, but all the ingredients come together to make a super tasty dinner. Taleggio and Italian fontina cheese can be found in speciality cheese or Italian grocery stores. If using fontina, it’s important to use the muchmore-flavourful Italian one.

1 lb (500 g) spicy Italian sausage or a combination of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, about 3 to 4 4 cups (1 L) Swiss chard, dandelion greens or spinach leaves, ½ to 1 bunch

5 cups (1.25 L) short tubular pasta such as penne, cavatappi or ziti

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup (125 mL) cubed (rind removed) Taleggio or Italian fontina cheese, about 3 oz (90 g)

½ cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup (250 mL) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

Pepper to taste

Additional Parmesan cheese for serving

1 Using a sharp knife, cut through each sausage casing and remove sausage meat. If using Swiss chard, remove and discard tough centre ribs and stems. Slice chard crosswise, into 2-inch (5-cm) strips. If using dandelion greens or spinach, discard tough ends of stems. Cut large leaves in half.

2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta. Cook 1 minute less than package directions or until nearly al dente.

3 Meanwhile, in a large deep wide pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic. Stir to break up meat until sausage is cooked, about 7 minutes. Add prepared greens to sausage, stirring occasionally; cook until very wilted to remove some of the bitterness, about 3 to 10 minutes depending on the type of greens (3 to 5 minutes for spinach, 6 to 10 minutes for dandelion or Swiss chard). Keep warm until pasta is ready.

4 Remove ¾ cup (175 mL) pasta water. Add ½ cup (125 mL) of the water to sausage mixture. Drain pasta, add to pan along with Taleggio and ½ cup (125 mL) Parmesan. Stir 2 minutes over medium heat, until cheese is melted and mixture starts to become gooey. Add remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) pasta water if pasta looks a little dry. Add tomatoes, stir 1 minute, just until hot. Add pepper to taste. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4