Gemelli with Sweet Sausage and Spinach

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound gemelli, penne, or rotini (I used penne)
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach (used 2 c frozen, thawed first)
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (or as many as you want!)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the gemelli until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over med. high heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the sausage and crushed red pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon, until no trace of pink remains.
**I added diced red peppers here.**
4. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook just until softened.
5. Add the gemelli and Parmesan cheese to the pan.
6. Add reserved cooking water as needed.
7. Cook over moderate heat, lightly crushing the tomatoes, until heated through. Season with salt and serve. Add additional Parmesan cheese to each serving if desired.


**I actually didn't add the pasta and parmesan in the skillet and let everyone add it on their own. DH doesn't like parmesan, so he used cheddar cheese and spaghetti instead of penne. He also added some Ragu sauce (he said it didn't "look" right... he's big on how something looks). He loved it though. I loved it the way it is inteded!

This recipe is from Michelle (MMmom), from an online cooking board I'm part of.