Description
A quick and satisfying pasta dish. Flavorful sausage, tender kale, and crunchy pine nuts make this a weeknight winner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 227 g (8 oz) sausage
- 142 g (5 oz) kale
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 454 g (1 lb) dried orecchiette pasta
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 118 ml (1/2 cup) grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, cook the sausage over medium-low heat until just done. Remove from heat and cut into small pieces.
- In the same sauté pan, increase the heat to medium, add the kale, and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 more minute. Add the cooked sausage and stir to combine. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Turn off the heat.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt until the pasta water is as salty as seawater. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Add the cooked orecchiette to the sautéed kale and sausage. Stir to combine, adding some reserved pasta water if desired. Stir in the pine nuts and grated cheese, and season to taste with ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For deeper flavor, remove the sausage from its casing before cooking.
- Toasted pine nuts add extra crunch; toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes before adding to the pasta.
- If you don’t have pine nuts, substitute with toasted slivered almonds or walnuts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir-Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 80