Sausage and Kale Pasta

I have a new favorite four –letter word (and a new favorite food too)! K-A-L-E. I have been using kale in EVERYTHING this week! I just finished a lovely kale and apple salad, I’ve been drinking green juice with kale almost every morning, I made kale chips, I’ve incorporated it into my dinners…I’m an all-around kaleaholic.

We’ll get to all of the delicious items I just listed out eventually, but today I would like to tell you about the sausage and kale pasta I made for dinner Monday night (and then lunch on Tuesday AND Wednesday).

Monday was one of those days where I came home from work and my boyfriend had defrosted meat with no thought of the full “dinner” it would be a part of; that detail was obviously up to me. The meat of choice on this particular night was hot Italian sausage. Usually we sauté the meat with green onions or mozzarella cheese and make Italian sandwiches which is delicious, but not the healthiest option. Not to mention it would have also required another trip to the grocery store.

Not wanting to climb back down the five flights of stairs (I know, I know…LAZY), I decided to concoct something out of the food in my kitchen. You’ve done this too, I’m sure. I pulled an inventory of what was in my fridge and decided I couldn’t resist incorporating kale into the meal. Thus, my sausage and kale pasta was born!

Sausage and Kale Pasta

Ingredients:

• 4  Italian Sausages (casing Removed)
• Olive Oil
•  Lemon Juice
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Parmesan Cheese

1. In a large saucepan, chop up and sauté sausage until cooked, and set aside.

1b. At the same time, boil water for pasta, and add the pasta when water comes to a boil. I like any tube-shaped pasta for this dish. I went with ziti.

2. In the same pan, add a bit more oil and the garlic, sautéing until garlic is brown.

3. Add kale and saute about 8 minutes – it will take on the spicy meaty flavor of the sausage and the garlic – your taste buds are not ready for this!

3b. Drain pasta when ready (use the time instructions on the box!)

When kale is finished cooking, add sausage and drained pasta into pan, sauté for a minute or two, and spritz with lemon. Add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!

I loved this so much that I sautéed up some extra kale and packed two days of lunches with the leftovers!