Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach and Beans

3 cups whole wheat penne pasta

3 links of turkey sausage, casings removed

¼ cup of white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

1-2 large portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

¼ cup low sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed

1 bag (6 ounces) pre-washed baby spinach

1 can (16 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons dried oregano

4-5 sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

Fresh basil, for garnish

Boil the pasta for 11 minutes or so, depending on the brand; drain and keep warm.Meanwhile in a large saute pan set on medium high, cook the turkey links, breaking them into small pieces, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat from pan, and remove cooked turkey to a plate to cool.In same pan deglaze with wine and scrape up any turkey bits still in pan. When that reduces, drizzle a splash of olive oil in and saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic and add the red pepper flakes, throw in a bit of salt to draw out the moisture in the onion while sauteing. Once the onion is translucent, add the baby spinach to the pan and frac14; cup chicken stock, and cover the pan until the spinach wilts.When the spinach is wilted, add 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, white beans and sun dried tomatoes to the pan, and take the back of a slotted spoon and press down a few times on the mixture to smash some of the beans. Doing this will release the starch inside the beans and thicken up the sauce. Add more chicken stock if needed, but the mix shouldn#146;t be soupy. Add the turkey back in and partially cover to reduce the sauce, about 3 to 4 minutes. Mix should be simmering. Taste at this point and add salt or pepper if needed. Drain the pasta and add back the cooked pasta to the pot. Then add the turkey and spinach mixture and mix well. Top each plate with few torn pieces of ripped basil and serve.Serves four to six.About this recipe: Lately I#146;ve been cooking healthy dishes and putting a lot of flavor in them so people don#146;t even realize that it#146;s a healthy version. I#146;ve make this dish with my own homemade sausage, but in this one I#146;ve substituted it with sweet turkey sausage and baby spinach, and no tomato sauce. It#146;s a healthier, lighter take.