Lemon-Garlic Spaghetti with Sausage Meatballs

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, 5 very thinly sliced and 1 grated 1 lemon; zested and juiced 3 mini whole wheat pitas, torn into big pieces 3 cups baby arugula, coarsley chopped 1 pound sweet or hot italian pork sausage; casings removed 1 cup loosely packed shredded gruyere salt and pepper 1 13 1/4 ounce box whole wheat spaghetti 1 1/4 cups grape tomatoes, halved Directions In a small saucepan, cook 1/4 cup olive oil and the sliced garlic over low heat until the garlic is fragrant and golden, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. In a food processor, pulse the pitas to very fine crumbs and transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop 6 tbsp of the arugula and stir into the crumbs along with the sausage, cheese and grated garlic. Form into 12 meatballs. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until well browned on all sides, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and a generous pinch of salt. Cover, lower the heat to medium and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot and toss with the garlic oil, lemon juice, the remaining arugula and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the meatballs.

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