Pasta is an obvious choice for a super swift yet delicious meal. Why? Because an easy and tasty sauce comes together while the pasta cooks. Sautéed Italian sausage, garlic, and swiss chard are delicious when tossed with cooked gemelli. Raisins, pine nuts, and Parmesan round out the hearty dish.

Fill free to get experimental with the recipe. Use arugula instead of chard, or dried cranberries instead of raisins. For the recipe, please read more.

Gemelli With Sausage and Swiss Chard
From Everyday Food magazine

1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound gemelli or other short pasta
3/4 cup raisins, plumped in boiling water and drained
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. In a large skillet, toast pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking the pan to toast evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and cook, breaking it up with a fork, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add chard, garlic, and pepper; cook, tossing, until chard wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions, about 12 minutes.
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot.
5. Add sausage mixture to pasta with 1/2 cup reserved cooking water, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan; toss to combine. Add more cooking water if pasta seems dry.
6. Serve with more Parmesan.

Serves 4.

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