Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

Ingredients
18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain in colander over bowl and reserve 1 ¹⁄₃ cups cooking liquid. 

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage to pan and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until browned.  Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook 2 minutes.  Mash tomatoes with back of wooden spoon or potato masher to break them apart.  Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook 3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid and arugula, and toss well.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and I loved it.  I’m loving arugula these days and I’m not sure why the sudden infatuation happened.  It’s so peppery and delicious.  The tomatoes broke down into a nice, light sauce.  The sausage made everything flavorful.  This was a great meal and I hope that I remember it in future meal plans since I’d love to eat it again.  It will be even better with summer tomatoes and arugula!

Cooking light 2011