Eat More Sausage!
Posted On March 1, 2021
Sausage, Kale and Pasta
A simple and versatile pasta dish! Even a huge hit with the kids!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put a pot of water on to boil your pasta. Cook your pasta to al dente, or to the lowest amount of time recommended on the box. Do this while you complete the other steps below. Don't forget to add salt to the cooking water!Before you drain the pasta, reserve about a cup of the starchy, salty water in a pyrex measuring cup, and set it aside.If the pasta finishes before you need it, that's OK! Just leave it in the colander until you're ready to use it!
- Put Heavy Bottom Pot on Medium-High Heat – Add Oil and Bacon
- Cook Until Bacon is just Crisp
- Add Sausage to HOT pan and break up into pieces. Cook until well browned. Try not to stir too much, and let the sausage get brown.
- Remove the meats from pan with a slotted spoon.
- Make sure at least 2 T of fat remain in pan. If not enough, add more Olive oil, if too much remove…..nah, just leave it all in there.
- Add onions and shallots to the pan. DO NOT add the garlic yet. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper if using.
- Quick side note, here is where you get to play around a bit. Use whatever onions you have around. This time I added onions, scallions and shallots. Sometimes, I don't have shallots, no big deal. Sometimes I have leeks, I use em! Use whatever onions you have around. Make it yours!
- Cook the onion mixture until translucent, then, and only then, add your garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, just until fragrant.
- Add Kale to the pot with another small pinch of salt. Always remember, season as you go! If you only add salt at the end, it will not taste the same. Season gently as you go!Another note here: We belong to a CSA(a small local farm), and we get weekly shares of whatever the farm gives us. Sometimes its kale, sometimes its Swiss Chard, sometimes its beet greens or dandelion greens. Again, use whatever cooking greens you like or have around! (Collard Greens are the exception, they take too long for this recipe)
- Add the white wine and chicken stock and stir. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Repeat a few times until it looks something like this. Cooked, but the greens havent turned brown.
- Add in Pasta and Sausage mixture and stir to combine. Add in Heavy cream now if using.
- Remember that pasta water you reserved? Feel free to use it now if it seems too dry in the pot, stir the mixture all together for about a minute on high heat.Forgot to reserve that water? It's OK, just use Chicken Broth or tap water. (But seriously, next time, reserve that pasta water, it helps make a beautifully thickened sauce.)
- Turn off the HeatAdd in the cheese, stir to combine.Squeeze in the lemon juice
- Give it a taste!Does in need salt? Add itDoes it need heat? Add some more chili flakesServe in bowls with another sprinkling of cheese. Enjoy!
