chicken sausage, baby kale and red pepper pasta

The original recipe called Orcchiette with Sausage, Baby Kale and Bell Pepper was created by Gina Homolka's from her book The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I was not able to find orcchiette at my grocery store and went with some wheat and gluten free organic rice vegetable twists by Mrs. Leeper's. I also subbed out Romano cheese with Parmesan which goes to show you don't have to follow a recipe exactly and it can still turn out delicious. The final dish turned out great and my husband was sad when he finished his plate and had to wait till the next day to eat it again. Success!

Chicken Sausage, Baby Kale and Red Pepper Pasta

Serves 5 (1.5 cups per serving)

Ingredients:

2 & 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
black pepper
14 oz fresh sweet or hot Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
6 cups baby kale
10 oz. whole wheat pasta such as orecchiette (or Rice Vegetable Twists)
1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese (original recipe called for Pecorino Romano cheese)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Cooking Directions:

Bring a large pot of water and 2 tsp of salt to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat and add the olive oil, onions, bell pepper, garlic, 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the sausage (make sure to remove the casing) and break into small pieces while browning, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the baby kale, cover, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook an additional 3 minutes or until the baby kale is wilted.

Once the pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain and rinse. Add the pasta and 1/3 cup of pasta water to the skilled. Increase the heat to medium-high heat, add the cheese and pepper flakes and mix well. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes and add more pasta water if needed. Divide among 5 plates and top with additional grated or shredded cheese if desired.


The original recipe comes from Gina Homolka's book  The Skinnytaste Cookbook