Beans and Greens Sausage Pasta

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Step 2

In a very large pan, saute the sausage in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Break up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon. Once brown and cooked through (about 7 minutes) remove the sausage to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm, and set aside.

Step 3

Add the remaining olive oil and garlic to the pan and cook the garlic until golden (about 2 minutes) then add in the red pepper flakes and escarole along with a 1/4 cup of water. Add a pinch of salt to the escarole and saute for 3 minutes.

Step 4

Add the wine and turn heat to medium-high. Reduce the liquid by half (about 2-3 minutes) then turn the heat down to medium once more. At this time begin boiling the pasta and cook to 1 minute less than al dente.

Step 5

Add the beans to the pan and saute with the escarole. Mash roughly half of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon. Add a couple of ladles of pasta water to keep everything moist.

Step 6

A few minutes before the pasta is ready add the sausage back to the pan along with 1 cup of pasta water and mix well.

Step 7

Add the pasta to the pan and continue to cook stirring frequently. Cook the pasta right until it reaches al dente then add the spinach and mix together. Cover the pan tightly then turn off the heat. The residual heat will wilt the spinach in roughly 2 minutes.

Step 8

Remove the lid and add the Pecorino and parsley and toss to combine. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper levels. If the pasta is at all dry add more of the reserved pasta water to get the perfect consistency. Serve with more grated Pecorino. Enjoy!