Pasta with Escarole, White Beans, and Sausage

Today I bid farewell to TV that has entertained me over the last few months..and welcome a few.


Games of Thrones, oh how I love thee. I must admit at first I thought, how could I ever watch such fantasy…and now I wish I had a mini dragon of my own.


Nurse Jackie? If ever there was a nurse who was on drugs you would want to take care of you, she's it. Take it easy on your husband lady….PS Coop is really cute.







The Borgias – You are boring and can leave.


Freaky Eaters – Actually I have no idea if their season ended but dude I LURVE this show. If someone who eats couch cushions doesn’t peak your interest then nothing will, not to mention there was a lady who would eat the couch too - as long as you put tartar sauce on it.


Intervention – A solid show in my arsenal for years, I root for each and every person!


True Blood & Boardwalk Empire – “Woot Woot”, I think that says it all.







Toddlers and Tiaras – You can quit following me for liking this show, I know it is all sorts of wrong but I also love all the Housewives so as you can see I rank low for quality programming.


So as you can see I spend a large portion of my day sitting all still like on a couch.


Since you can’t grill and keep a keen eye on the TV, I decided to whip up some pasta over the weekend to keep us fed during the week. I am super smart this way with planning. I mean how can you watch all this goodness and cook dinner at the same time??







INGREDIENTS
Delightfully borrowed (slightly altered) from The Food Network
{Printable Recipe}


• 3/4 pound pasta, I used spiral
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Large Links of Italian-style chicken sausage, casings removed, crumbled
• 1 medium head escarole, rinsed, drained and chopped, about 8 cups
• 1(14-ounce) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan







DIRECTIONS


Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.


Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, deep saute pan or 8-quart stockpot. Saute the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Stir in the sausage and cook until heated through and browned, about 4 minutes.







Add the escarole and cook until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans, 1 cup of chicken stock, sage and red pepper flakes and simmer until the mixture is heated through and liquid is slightly reduced.







Add the sausage-bean mixture to pasta and toss well.  Season with freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste….then toss on the Parmesan baby.


Now plop down on the couch and eat…get your TV on all proper like with a big ole honkin bowl of pasta - and if you have some time please check out a food bloggers tribute to Monet.  Want to try out the recipe I supplied....Gingersnap Tart with Pumpkin Pastry Cream!