Sausage, White Beans, and Arugula with Pasta

I scored some more local arugula at the coop this weekend and used most of it in this dish, along with sausage from Bostrom's Farm. The bean-sausage-arugula combination is a felicitous one and you could take it in a few different directions from here--perhaps add tomatoes and skip the pasta, so that it forms more of a stew. Or puree the beans with some water to make more of a sauce. Lots of options.

1 lb dry cut pasta, such as shells
1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cups cooked white beans (I used these)
2 tsp dried ground or crumbled sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 - 1/2 lb arugula

Heat water and cook the pasta. While you do this, make the rest of the dish.

Cook the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up as you do so. When it is about done, pour off most of the fat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, sage, and salt and pepper.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss with a little olive oil. Then add the arugula to the other ingredients, sauteing just until wilted (probably no more than 1 minute). Toss this mixture with the pasta and serve.

Serves about 6.