There is nothing more comforting than PASTA. There is always some type of pasta in our pantry. Or I make some fresh to try out new recipes and an excuse to use the pasta roller. I needed something new for dinner and settled on some type of pasta dish. I just didn’t know which one until I was looking through all the magazine recipes I have torn out over the years. I came upon this one.

    Rigatoni with spicy sausage-tomato sauce, arugula spinach, and parmesan

The original recipe called for arugala, but since the only grocer that carries it is on the other side of the river on the other side of town I subsituted spinach, even tho…

    “The classic meat sauce gets some oomph from the peppery arugula.”

The oomph wasn’t worth the 40 minute round trip drive.

Ingredients

    1 Tbl olive oil
    1 large onion, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, chopped
    2 lbs hot Italian sausages casings removed {I used fresh ground Italian sausage.}
    1/2 cup dry red wine
    1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
    1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
    8 ounces rigatoni
    2 cups (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed {Subbed in Spinach}
    1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
    1 Tbl shopped fresh oregano {I used 1/2 Tbl dried}
    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

~ Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 4 minutes.
~ Add garlic; stir 1 minute.
~ Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes.
~ Drain drippings from pot.
~ Add wine, diced tomatoes with juice, and crushed tomatoes; increase heat and bring to boil.
~ Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.
~ Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
~ Stir pasta, spinach, basil, and oregano into tomato sauce. Simmer until arugula wilts, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
~ Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

      Recipe adapted from bonappetit June 2008

This was so good. Everyone liked it. Definitely a repeat.