This Sausage and Kale Orecchiette is a great weeknight meal. It only needs a few ingredients and is quick to prepare. Great for kids too!
According to my rough calculations, my children are 1/8 Italian. My maternal grandmother immigrated from Italy, and that means my kids are guaranteed to eat at least 1/8th of any pasta dish I introduce them to, even if it has kale in it!
This orecchiette with sausage and kale is a great pasta dish for beginners. It has few ingredients, with the pasta water itself playing a starring role. (Yes!) It also comes together quickly, leaving you feeling like a seething rock star even on a tired Wednesday.
Suggestions and substitutes for those pan noodles
- Orecchiette: I like this pasta shape for this dish. The “little ears” cook quickly and hold onto the light sauce well, but feel free to substitute farfalle, penne, or even orzo!
- Sausage: I recommend an Italian sausage for this recipe, either sweet or spicy. (I prefer sweet when I’m feeding it to my kids and spicy when I’m not.) You can use sausage loose or in the casing. If you buy the sausage in the casing, remove it before cooking the sausage.
- Green: I really love kale in this dish (I like Tuscan), but Swiss chard would be an absolutely delicious substitute, or even baby spinach in a pinch. However, if you can find a large bunch of kale, use it.
Use the pasta water – it’s the key!
The key to making this dish work is to season the pasta water well with salt and then use some of that water at the end when you throw all the ingredients together. (I like to use about a tablespoon of kosher salt per quart of water.)
Pasta water is basically starchy water. So if you put it in a hot pan with other ingredients, it will stick to those ingredients and form a light sauce over everything. If you omit this step, you’ll notice it in the finished dish. Dry noodles are the worst.
Storing and reheating leftover pasta
This pasta dish keeps very well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Reheat either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be sure to add a splash of water to bring it back to life as it heats up.
Dad adds: Crunchy Parmesan Breadcrumbs!
This is one of my favorite pasta toppers. Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a small bowl, then place in a pan with a little butter to form small crunchy bits. So delicious!
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The key to this dish, especially if you have younger, picky eaters, is giving them small portions of the pasta and, most annoyingly, separating the ingredients.
Yes, I carefully separated the pasta, sausage, and kale in this dish and stacked each on a plate for my kids. But, you know what? SHE ATE IT. They even tried the kale. Sometimes a little extra work goes a long way!
More quick and easy weeknight pasta dishes
- Caprese pasta salad
- Pasta with tuna and capers in white wine sauce
- Pasta with spinach, artichokes and ricotta
- Spaghetti pasta carbonara
- Pepperoni Pizza Penne Pasta
Orecchiette pasta with sausage and kale
ingredients
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12 ounces Orecchiette pasta
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14-16 ounces bulk goods italian sausage
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1 big bunch purple or tuscan Kalestemmed and leaves chopped
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1 big shallotcut
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2 cloves garliccut
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1/2 Cup salted pasta water
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1 lemononly juice
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Salttaste
For the crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs
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2 tablespoon butter
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1/2 Cup breadcrumbs
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1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
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1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Optional)
method
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Prepare the crispy parmesan crumbs:
Melt butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and red pepper flakes to avoid large clumps of parmesan. Pour into the pan and stir to coat with butter. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Set aside until ready to eat.
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Boil pasta in salted water:
Fill a large saucepan with water and place on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons of table salt) per quart of water. The water should taste spicy but not seawater salty. It is important that the salt level in the water is correct as we will be using it to finish the dish.
When the water is boiling, add the pasta and stir quickly to separate the pasta as orecchiette tends to stick together. Cook until al dente, probably 9-11 minutes. Scoop out a cup of pasta water (remember!), then drain and rinse the pasta to stop the cooking.
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cook sausage:
While the pasta is cooking, add the Italian sausage in small pieces to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 6-7 minutes, degreasing the sausage while stirring occasionally until the sausage is cooked through.
There should be enough fat from the sausage in the pan at this point, but if your pan is very dry, add a drizzle of olive oil before the next ingredients go in.
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Add kale, shallot and garlic:
Add the chopped kale, shallot, and garlic to the pan. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes until kale is wilted.
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Add cooked orecchiette and pasta water:
Add the cooked orecchiette, 1/2 cup pasta water, and lemon juice to the pan. Toss to combine and heat until the pasta water thickens into a light sauce. If the pasta seems dry, add more pasta water.
Serve pasta in shallow bowls and garnish with crunchy breadcrumbs.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 5-6 days. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water or over the stove in a skillet over medium-high heat.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 440 | calories |
| 25g | Fat |
| 32g | carbohydrates |
| 20g | protein |
