Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

A comforting pasta dish featuring spicy Italian sausage, sautéed kale, and a rich tomato-based sauce, served with garlic bread and a simple green salad.
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Total: 40 min
- Servings: 2
- Cuisine: Italian
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: $3.83/serving
Dietary
- Nut-Free
- High-Protein
- High-Fiber
Tags
- comfort food
- savory
Ingredients
- 4 ounce pasta
- 8 ounce Italian sausage (casings removed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 0.5 yellow onion (diced)
- 3 clove garlic (minced)
- 0.5 can diced tomatoes
- 0.25 cup chicken broth
- 3 cup kale (chopped, tough stems removed)
- 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 0.75 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2 slice Italian bread
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 cup mixed greens
- 2 tablespoon Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, in a large skillet, crumble and cook Italian sausage over medium-high heat until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess fat and set sausage aside.
- In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add yellow onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Add chopped kale, stirring until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Return sausage to the skillet.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency. Stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- For garlic bread: Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine softened butter and 1 clove minced garlic. Spread evenly over Italian bread slices. Broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
- For the salad: Toss mixed greens with Italian dressing. Serve pasta with garlic bread and a side salad.
Notes
For a milder dish, use sweet Italian sausage and omit the red pepper flakes.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories: 897
- Protein: 38 g
- Carbohydrates: 87.4 g
- Fat: 49 g
- Fiber: 8.9 g
- Sodium: 2884 mg
- Saturated Fat: 16.3 g
- Sugar: 8.8 g
- Cholesterol: 113 mg