Spicy Italian Pasta

I wanted to add a little heat to my pasta tonight, so I made it with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage. It was perfect! The mixture of spice with the tomato, garlic, soft spinach and ooozing cheese was fantastic!

 Ingredients:

- 12 ounces whole wheat bow tie or penne whole wheat pasta

- 8 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage, removed from casings

 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped

- 8 cups baby spinach

- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2 or dried tomatoes

- 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste

- 1 teaspoon ground pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- dash of red pepper flakes 
* Additional ingredients I like to add.....1 squash, 1 zucchini, peas

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 9 to 11 minutes, or according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, spinach and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the greens wilt and the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes.
3.  Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix with the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
4. Serve the pasta topped with extra cheese if desired.