Fusilli with Italian Sausage and Baby Spinach

I got this recipe from eatingwell.com. A lot of their recipes look a little different or scary but I am going to start trying them out and I'll post the ones that are 'keepers'. My husband LOVED this recipe and it is light in calories so it is definitely a 'keeper'! I found it under the recipes for two so this recipe only makes 2 two cup servings so you will have to double or triple it if you are making it for a family! I used the wheat shells because that is all I could find at Wal-mart and I used baby spinach. There was only one Italian turkey sausage I found at Wal-mart so I used that and it was too spicy for me but my husband loved all the spice- I think that's why he liked this recipe so much!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces whole-wheat pasta, such as shells or fusilli
• 4 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups arugula, or baby spinach
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta 8 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, arugula (or spinach) and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the greens wilt and the tomatoes begin to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and keep warm.
3. Combine cheese, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid; drain the pasta. Whisk the cooking liquid and oil into the cheese mixture; add the pasta and toss to combine. Serve the pasta topped with the sausage-arugula mixture.

Nutrition

Per serving: 412 calories; 16 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 45 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 9 g fiber; 637 mg sodium; 378 mg potassium.