Sausage and kale go together like garlic and onions. Put all 4 in a pot? Now that’s a party! And let’s be honest, doesn’t eating kale make you feel a little less guilty about eating sausage? I thought so. This pasta recipe is healthy and nutritious for the following reasons:
1. Each serving provides 6g of fiber and over 21g of protein. Can we say happy tummy?
2. One bowl of this pasta meets and exceeds your daily requirements for Vitamin A and C and 35% of your iron needs. Take that cold season!
3. Kale is a magic food. It is a leafy green loaded in antioxidants and nutrients. I love it because it stands up to the hearty pasta and doesn’t fade into the background like spinach would, for example.
I’ve also thrown in a few short cuts by having you cook the kale directly with the pasta towards the last few minutes of boiling time. Less pots and dishes after dinner equals happy household. Be sure to make extra – this dish tastes even better the next day for lunch or leftovers for dinner later in the week.
Your Parmesan cheese is waiting.
- 8 oz whole wheat penne
- 4 c kale roughly chopped
- 1 c diced onions
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 3 links Italian turkey or chicken sausage
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ c beer or white wine or chicken broth
- ¼ c reserved pasta water
- 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tbs dried basil
- ½ tbs dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ⅓ c grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated parmigiano reggiano and fresh chopped parsley garnish
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Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and add whole wheat penne.
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Once penne is 1-2 minutes shy of al-dente, add chopped kale. Cook 2 additional minutes until kale is tender and bright green.
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Using a glass liquid measuring cup, remove a cup of the starchy cooking liquid and set aside. Strain and set aside.
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Heat another deep saute pan on medium high and spray with non-stick spray.
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Saute onion until tender 2-3 minutes then add red pepper flakes and garlic, cook additional 30 seconds.
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Add raw sausage removed from casing directly into the pan.
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Crumble with a wooden spoon and cook until sausage is browned 5-7 minutes.
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Deglaze pan with beer, wine or chicken broth using spoon to scrape up wooden bits from bottom of pan.
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Add tomatoes, spices and ½ c reserved starchy pasta liquid then bring to a boil.
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Stir then turn to low and simmer 5 minutes.
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Pour reserved pasta and kale into the sausage mixture and heat until warmed through.
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Add in cheese at the end and check for seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve with fresh parsley and extra cheese on the side.
Excellent source of Vitamin A and C, good source of Iron.
Tiffany
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!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Love the liquid smoke idea!!
Katy
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!!
Liz DellaCroce
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!
Katy
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!!