Recipe: Italian Sausage and Sundried Tomato Pasta

This is a recipe that uses just five main ingredients. It's comfort food dish that packs a lot of flavor, but is easy to make and is also pretty on the plate. This serves 6 dinner-size portions, so unless you're having a dinner party, you'll have plenty of leftovers! Which is fine, because it tastes even better the next day when all the flavors combine.

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Arugula and Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1lb penne (1 box)
• 1 lb. Italian sausage (mild or hot)
• 2 cups chopped sundried tomatoes (with oil)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups arugula

Directions:

• Boil a big pot of water & cook your penne
• While that’s happening, brown the sausage in a large pan (take it out of the casing first)
• Add fresh garlic to the pan toward the end of the cooking process, then drain the fat out of your pan.
• Drain the noodles, toss together the sausage/garlic mix and throw in your sundried tomatoes. Toss all ingredients together and make sure the tomatoes get warm.
• Then toss in the arugula, it will start wilting immediately from the heat of the pasta.
• Add a 1 tbsp. coarse sea salt and 1 tsp. cracked pepper
•  Garnish with fresh shaved Parmesean cheese and fresh basil, and if you like your pasta spicy, add red pepper flakes to taste.

Be sure to choose a nice red wine to accompany this meal. I served it with Gnarly Head Authentic Red, which is a great table wine at a nice price point. Mangia!