Fire roasted tomatoes, crisp kale, and flavorful Italian sausage mix to make a delicious and healthy pasta dinner.
Sausage and kale go together like garlic and onions. So why not make a dish that uses all four? I added tomatoes and whole-wheat pasta for good measure, too. I’ve also thrown in a few short cuts, meaning less pots and dishes for easier cleanup. This Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta is a meal I feel good about serving to my family, and it’s delicious as well as nutritious.
How to Make Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta
Start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne pasta. Cook your pasta until it’s al dente, reserve about 1/4 cup, then strain and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, chop the onion, and chop and de-stem the kale leaves.
In a large pan, sauté the diced onion in some olive oil until tender.
Next, grate in your garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
Add the raw sausage and crumble it while it’s cooking.
Then stir in the red chili flakes, basil, oregano, and rosemary. If desired, use white wine or beer to deglaze the pan.
Add the kale and some reserved pasta water to cook your kale until bright green and slightly wilted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the can of fire-roasted tomatoes and stir together.
Then add the cooked pasta to the pan with everything else.
Freshly grate some parmigiano reggiano over the pasta and then stir everything together, and let cook until pasta is warmed through.
Serve your Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta with fresh parsley and more cheese garnished on top.
Substitutions
- Make it vegetarian. Use a vegan sausage, or remove it all together and double up on the onion, kale, and tomatoes.
- Swap the sausage. Shrimp or scallops would be delicious in this sauce, or some strip steak.
- Make it dairy free. Just remove the cheese! It’ll still be delicious and flavorful, requiring very few modifications.
- Make it gluten free. Swap out for your favorite gluten free pasta or try it with rice.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the benefit to using whole wheat pasta?
Whole wheat pasta is higher in fiber and lower in calories than typical white pasta.
How do I store the leftovers?
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, it’ll keep for up to 4 days.
Do I have to use penne pasta?
Nope! Rigatoni would also work great, or some medium sized shell pasta. These do a great job of catching the sauce and making each bite delish.
More Pasta Dishes
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Zucchini Zoodles with Sausage and Kale
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Greek Pasta Salad
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Be sure to make extra – this Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta tastes even better the next day for lunch or leftovers for dinner later in the week.
Your fork is waiting.
Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat penne
- 4 cups kale (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup diced onions
- 3 cloves garlic (grated)
- 3 links Italian turkey or chicken sausage
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup beer or white wine (or chicken broth)
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- 14 ounces can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated parmigiano reggiano and fresh chopped parsley (garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and add whole wheat penne.
- Using a glass liquid measuring cup, remove a cup of the starchy cooking liquid and set aside. Strain and set aside.
- Heat another deep saute pan on medium high and spray with non-stick spray.
- Saute onion until tender, 2-3 minutes, then add red pepper flakes and garlic, cook additional 30 seconds. Add raw sausage removed from casing to the pan. Crumble with a wooden spoon and cook until sausage is browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Deglaze pan with beer, wine, or chicken broth using a spoon to scrape up bits from bottom of pan.
- Add tomatoes, spices and ½ c reserved starchy pasta liquid then bring to a boil. Add chopped kale. Stir then turn to low and simmer 5 minutes.
- Pour reserved pasta into the sausage mixture and heat until warmed through. Add in cheese at the end and check for seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with fresh parsley and extra cheese on the side.
Made this yesterday — I thought I had a can of fire roasted tomatoes but I didn’t! We used fresh tomatoes and sauteed them. We used a little liquid smoke to give it the fire roasted taste. We also added a can of regular diced tomatoes. The pasta was great!! I like the leftovers even better. I also never cooked with kale before, it was easy and delicious. You don’t even know you’re eating vegetables!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Love the liquid smoke idea!!
Hi there! I was wondering what happens with the other 1/2 c of the reserved starchy pasta liquid? Or is the initial scooping of a cup just an estimate?
Thank you!!
Hi Katy – Great question! The amount you’ll end up using is based on the consistency you are looking for so you may need only 1/2 cup but you may need a little more if your pasta mixture dries up a bit. Does that make sense?? Let me know if you need further clarification! Let me know what you think – this is one of our favorites!
Okay, great! Thanks for getting back to me! :)
We’re just getting ready to move across the country, haha, but once settled I plan to try out this as well as many other of your recipes!!