Kale and Mushroom Orecchiette with Italian Sausage

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

So easy, so quick, and it’s nutritious & delicious. This dish is perfect for a convenient weeknight dinner.

Pasta is one of my favourite go-to meals when I’m in a hurry. In under 30 minutes you can create such an effortlessly gourmet meal, and it’s just as good the next day as leftovers. This pasta dish is loaded with kale, mushrooms, Italian sausages, onions, garlic, chilli flakes and a hint of lemon. It has all the comforting fall flavours that your family will love. You can substitute for another pasta shape, but if you can get your hands on some Orecchiette’s, I would highly recommend. They’re like little bowl shaped pasta noodles of goodness ready to carry all the sauce and flavour.

I love how versatile this pasta is. Vegetarian? Leave out the Italian sausages. Don’t like Kale? Try adding spinach or another leafy green. Not a fan of mushrooms? Try subbing broccoli or leave it out all together! You can definitely adapt this recipe to suit your taste buds.

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Some helpful hints:

Make sure to reserve some of the pasta water before you drain the Orecchiette’s. This is sooo important. The starchy water helps to create that shiny, silky smooth sauce.

Cook the pasta al-dente. This means the pasta is very slightly undercooked. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce at the end, that way it soaks up all the rich flavours. It’s like the sauce infuses into the pasta.

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Rating: ★★★★★
• Print

So easy, quick, nutritious & delicious. This pasta dish is perfect for a convenient weeknight dinner.

Credit: sageandspice.ca

Ingredients

• 10 oz Orecchiette pasta
• 1 lbs Italian sausage (removed from casing)
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• crushed chilli flakes (to taste)
• salt & black pepper

Directions

1. Bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta. Follow package instructions and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
2. Heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up any large bits with a wooden spoon. Sauté about 6-8 minutes until browned. Remove sausage from skillet.
3. Heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil in the skillet. Add Mushrooms. Sauté 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are softened. Add kale, garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté another few minutes until kale is softened.
4. Return sausage to skillet along with the cooked pasta, chicken broth, reserved pasta water, lemon juice and lemon zest.
5. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the remaining sauce has thickened. Mix in Parmesan.
6. Add salt & pepper to taste, and serve.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 435 calories; 17 g fat; 44 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 46 mg cholesterol; 557 mg sodium.

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