Pasta with Kale, Sausage, & Mushrooms

This quick weeknight dish makes kale a crowd-pleaser. 🙂 It was fabulous.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by David Latt. I used my CSA red kale instead of black kale and I doubled the mushrooms and the garlic. I also modified the cooking sequence. This recipe could easily be adapted to make a vegetarian version by omitting the sausage.

• 1 bunch red or black kale, washed, ribs removed, sliced into 1-inch ribbons
• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausages
• 8 oz (½ pound) shiitakes mushrooms, washed, thinly sliced
• 8 oz (½ pound) cremini mushrooms, washed, thinly sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
• 4 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock or pasta water, plus more to adjust consistency of sauce
• 1 T unsalted butter
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 pound pasta (spaghetti, ziti, penne, or fusilli) (I used La Molisana Pantacce Toscane, 106)
• 1 T Kosher salt for the pasta

1. Sauté with olive oil or grill the sausages to put a crust on the outside, drain on a paper towel, cut into 1/4-inch rounds, then set aside.
2. In a hot pan lightly brown the kale with the olive oil and remove.
3. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic; sauté until lightly browned.
4. Turn down the heat to medium. Return the kale to the pan along with the sausages, stock, and butter. Braise for 15 minutes. The liquid should reduce by half.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, make the pasta in boiling salted water, drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, toss.
7. Add the cooked pasta to the sausage mixture, toss to coat with the sauce. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water, as desired. Serve with grated cheese.