Summer Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS

• ½ lb. capellini, spaghetti, linguine (whatever you have on hand will be fine) *

• 1 lb. sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed, crumbled (use spicy or pork sausage, if you prefer)

• Olive oil*

• 1 tsp. butter*

• Kosher salt* and freshly ground black pepper*

• 1-pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 garlic clove*, minced

• 4 cups fresh spinach*

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon*

• Lemon pepper*

• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil*

• Freshly grated parmesan cheese*

• Optional – red pepper flakes*

• Fresh arugula

• Lemon vinaigrette (see recipe below)

*indicates Kitchen Staple item

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water, with a dash of olive oil, according to package directions.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the cooked sausage and set aside.

In the same skillet used for the sausage, over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to cook quickly until the tomatoes start to break apart, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic, then stir/toss to wilt the spinach, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Toss the cooked pasta in the same skillet used to cook the sausage and veggies, with the lemon juice and zest, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon pepper, salt and pepper. Add the sausage and veggies to the pasta and cook over low heat for a couple minutes. Top each serving of pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of freshly chopped basil and a dash of red pepper flakes (if desired).

Toss the arugula with the lemon vinaigrette (see recipe below) and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Wine Pairing

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio

Kid Version

My older daughter enjoys this pasta just as it is and even loves the arugula salad! For my younger daughter, I serve her the cooked pasta, tossed with a little butter and olive oil. I add a little parmesan cheese and some of the sausage to the pasta and serve raw cherry tomatoes and one other veggie (usually cucumber slices for this meal) on the side.

Lemon Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp of olive oil*

• Juice of ½-1 lemon, depending on how tart you like the dressing*

• Heaping ½ tsp of Dijon mustard*

• Pinch of salt*

• Fresh ground black pepper*

  
  *indicates Kitchen Staple item

DIRECTIONS

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt in a small mason jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. If you don’t have a mason jar, combine the ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk to combine. Grind a bit of black pepper on salad greens (I prefer Arugula for this dressing, but any greens will do), drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and homemade croutons (see my website for crouton recipe). Enjoy!