Hot Italian Sausage and Tomato Pasta

1 lb dry fettuccine
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
4 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 pint red or yellow cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1 cup arugula, torn
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-hi heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook about 5 min., using a wooden spoon to crumble it. Add the tomatoes and cook until the skins burst, about 8 min. Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked fettuccine, basil, and arugula and toss gently to combine. Serve in bowls and top with Parmesan.

Source: Real Simple, June 2005

I didn't follow the recipe, of course. I used five hot Italian sausages because that's what comes in a standard package. The cherry tomatoes didn't look too good at the store, so I used grape tomatoes and cut them in smaller pieces. I also used baby spinach in place of the arugula and basil - and I sauteed the spinach with the tomatoes because I like it wilted a little in my pasta. (I did add a little dried basil though.)

This was my new recipe of the week - and it was very good. But don't drain the past as long as I did. Drain it quickly and then throw it back in the pasta pot so the noodles still have a little water left on them. My pasta had been draining for a while and when I went to toss the sauce and the noodles, they didn't stick well together.