Creamy Pasta With Sausage & Greens

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 bunch kale (or whatever fresh greens you have)
• 1 lb whole wheat pasta (a short stubby shape that can hold some sausage, greens and sauce, like small shells or spirals)
• 1 lb sausage (i use spicy)
• 3/4 cup chopped leeks (onion-type vegetables, whatever you've got) or 3/4 cup regular onion (onion-type vegetables, whatever you've got)
• 1 dash hot pepper flakes (if you like it hotter)
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup good wine (pinot grigio goes great to have with the finished product as well!)
• 1 1/2 cups cream, whole milk or 1 (12 ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk, shaken
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (per serving to sprinkle on top before eating)

Recipe

• 1 bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and plunge the kale or other greens in, just until they turn bright green (around about 2 min or less).
• 2 fish the greens out with tongs and put in a colander to drain.
• 3 cook the pasta in the same water that you cooked the greens in until it is al dente.
• 4 drain and save 1/2 cup of the cooking water, though i hardly ever need this.
• 5 meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add the sausage.
• 6 throw the chopped onions, minced garlic and hot pepper flakes on top of the sausage and chop and mix using a large spatula until the sausage is separated into small crumbles and it, as well as the onion, is cooked. the onion should be translucent, not brown.
• 7 add the wine and let most of it boil off.
• 8 add the cream or milk and boil that down until thickened, about 5 minutes or so.
• 9 while that's boiling, chop the greens and then add them to the thickened sausage mixture.
• 10 finally, throw in the pasta and parmesan and toss well.
• 11 thin with the reserved pasta water if it seems to need it.
• 12 serve with extra parmesan.