Swiss Chard, Fennel, and Sausage Pasta

Pasta makes an appearance at our dinner table usually about once a week, mostly because it’s simple and also because my kids make me feel like a hero whenever I announce pasta for dinner.  I still remember the time when I served pasta tossed with a plain old jar of store-bought marinara sauce and my son declared it “my best meal EVER”.  (Oh why do I even bother sometimes?!)

This pasta, while not quite as easy as opening a jar, has minimal preparation and comes together quickly on busy weeknights .  I used some homemade tomato sauce that I still had frozen from last summer’s tomatoes, but you could easily substitute any purchased canned or jarred tomato sauce.  Ricotta and parmesan mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes and the seasonings from the chicken sausage help to further flavor the sauce.  I like my pasta heavy with vegetables so there are two whole bunches of swiss chard along with a large fennel bulb, although in the end I probably could have used even more after the vegetables cooked down.  It’s a simple dinner, I know, but delicious just the same and it’s these one-pot meals that get me through the week.

Swiss Chard, Fennel, and Sausage Pasta

Ingredients

• 14 ounce rigatoni, penne, or fusilli shaped pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound Italian chicken sausage
• 1 large fennel bulb, long stalks trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise and then each half thinly sliced
• 2 bunches swiss chard, stems removed, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage and fennel. Sauté until fennel softens and sausage begins to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the chard and cook just until chard begins to wilt. Lower heat and stir in the tomato sauce and ricotta. Simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with extra grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper.