Creamy Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Greens

This is one of those dinners that was born out of pure chance.

I had leftover sausage and marscapone cheese. They desperately needed to be used. The result? This deliciousness. I made it up as I went, which even I'm impressed by. {if you ask my mom, she'll say this a talent I get from her}

{serves four}
Ingredients:
1/2 lb pasta (I used gemelli, but rotini, fusili or penne would work well too)
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 lb. mild italian sausage
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
4 oz. marscapone cheese
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups spinach/arugula mix (using one or the other would work as well)
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Remember to reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water for the sauce.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Remove sausage from casing and crumble into pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.

Next, add marscapone, parmesan and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Stir together until well blended, then bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower heat and let simmer for approx 5 minutes, or until desired consistency. (tip: if the sauce is too dry, add a little more pasta water. too watery? cook for longer or use some corn starch).

Add in cooked pasta, tomatoes, spinach, arugula, salt and pepper. Cover with lid for about one minute to allow greens to wilt slightly. And you're done!

Serve topped with shredded parmesan.