Recipe: Rotini with Cabbage and Sausage

ROTINI WITH CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE

1 pound rotini or other pasta, uncooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage
1 small head green cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
1 cup cubed fontina cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove casing from sausage. Add sausage to skillet. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage. Cook, stirring constantly until cabbage begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir sausage into cabbage.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl. Add cabbage mixture and toss to combine, adding some of reserved cooking liquid if mixture looks dry. Add fontina and toss just until cheese starts to melt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Robin Davis to the Columbus Dispatch, September 10, 2008