Today we are bringing you our creamy sausage and kale pasta recipe. We don’t always eat pasta but it is something we all enjoy and makes dinner hearty and fun. Plus it is a great way for the boys to get kale, if they’ll eat it! For this recipe, we are combining mild sausage and kale in a delicious sauce with pasta. It is perfect for the whole family, quick and fitting for the season as our tastebuds begin to change. Pasta dishes are so fun to make and once you find a rhythm it’s not too hard to mess up. Don’t forget to top with fresh parmesan, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes for a touch of spice. Enjoy!
What do you need to make the creamy sausage kale pasta?
- Rigatoni pasta- Rigatoni and orecchiette are some of our favorite pasta shapes. The rigatoni pairs with this recipe really well but feel free to use any shape or variety! Whole wheat, chickpea, etc.
- Mild Italian Sausage- We used mild sausage but you can also do spicy Italian for a little more heat. Sometimes the heat is not always kid friendly, so we usually stick to mild for the kids.
- Olive oil– There is just nothing like some good quality olive oil. I use a ton of olive oil, because it’s one of my favorite things! Adds such a nice light yet rich flavor to this sausage pasta dish!
- Fresh garlic- Fresh garlic is 100% ideal here. There’s nothing like fresh garlic!
- Heavy cream- This adds the best creaminess to the sauce. You could substitute with whole milk or half and half if that’s what you have but heavy cream will yield the best result.
- Parmesan– We use fresh parmesan and grate it ourselves. You can also buy the already grated to save even more time. Pecorino romano would work wonderfully too.
- Kale- Kale is essential to this recipe! It cooks down nice in the sauce and does not take much time at all.
- Lemon zest- The lemon zest is the perfect touch at the end that really brightens the flavor of this pasta dish.
Tips for making it:
- To save time you can take a few shortcuts. You can buy already grated garlic and already shredded parmesan for quick alternatives.
- Make sure you add the parmesan right onto the fresh pasta when you pour it into the pan with the rest of the ingredients. This ensures that the parmesan sticks to the pasta and just gives it a great distribution!
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Alright, let’s get to making the recipe! Enjoy!
Creamy Sausage Kale Pasta
Today we are bringing you our creamy sausage and kale pasta recipe. We don't always eat pasta but it is something we all enjoy and makes dinner hearty and fun. Plus it is a great way for the boys to get kale, if they'll eat it! For this recipe, we are combining mild sausage and kale in a delicious sauce with pasta. It is perfect for the whole family, quick and fitting for the season as our tastebuds begin to change. Pasta dishes are so fun to make and once you find a rhythm it's not too hard to mess up. Don’t forget to top with fresh parmesan, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes for a touch of spice. Enjoy!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 16 oz rigatoni pasta
- 3 mild Italian sausages
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz bag of baby kale
- ⅓ cup parmesan grated
- ¼ cup pasta water
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- ½-1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
- In a medium to large pot, boil water for pasta. Add 1/2 tsp salt to the water.
- Heat a large skillet. Once heated add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Next, add in about half of the chopped garlic. (For the sausage, we take the casing off and break down.) Season with a good sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.
- Once the sausage is no longer pink, remove it from the pan and add it to a separate dish.
- In the same skillet, reduce heat. Add the additional tbsp of olive oil and the other half of the chopped garlic. Add the heavy cream and increase the heat to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and add the parmesan. Next mix in the baby kale. Season with sea salt.
- Once the kale is cooked down, add in the pasta water and cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan on top of the pasta and mix everything well. Top with lemon zest and red chili flakes. Add additional salt if need.
- Serve with fresh parmesan and enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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