Simple Sausage Supper

Sunday: sausage with marinara sauce; sautéed beet greens

I usually make this with polenta, too, but we had a large brunch with friends earlier in the day and I was feeling like having something a little lighter for dinner.

The greens were from the beets I'm planning to pickle later this week (they're actually leftover from the previous week - I just never got around to doing anything with them). Beet greens are my favorite kind of greens - they're slightly sweet, and they pair well with vinegar.

Sautéed Beet Greens

• 1 pound beet greens (from approximately 10-14 beets)
  
• olive oil
• 1/2 C sliced onion
• pinch salt
  
• 1/4 C water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp cider vinegar (I used blackberry cider vinegar from Rockridge Orchards)

Chop the greens, then wash well. You don't need to dry them.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onions, salt, and red pepper; cook until the onions are softened and a little brown (about 5 minutes). Add the water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the beet greens. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar and cook down slightly. Add more salt if needed.

Serves 4.

I also pan-fried some Italian sausages (from Skagit River Ranch) and made a batch of marinara sauce, but since the leftover sausages are going to be our lunches on Monday, there wasn't enough left to freeze any for later.