Little Dish #1 – Sausage, Kale & Peppers Pasta

Little Dish #1 – Sausage, Kale & Peppers Pasta

I opened the fridge and found Italian sausage, kale and red bell peppers. I was thinking definitely a pasta dish would be yummy! So, I threw together a quick saute of the sausage, with garlic, shallots, kale and bell peppers. I added a little beef broth for a little depth of flavor. I folded in some al dente cooked orecchiette pasta and finished it with a little fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese. Here is my recipe! Enjoy!


Little Dish #1 – Sausage, Kale & Peppers Pasta
 3 links of Italian sausage
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped into about 1/2″ pieces (large dice)
2 red bell peppers, chopped into about 1/2″ pieces (large dice)
1 small shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 pound of orecchiette pasta
pinch of red pepper flakes
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (this will sometimes be referred to as s & p tt)
Directions:
In a saute pan add about 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze out the sausage from the casings, break up and brown. To this add the minced garlic and minced shallot. Turn heat to med low. Cook the shallot and garlic for just a minute or two then add the kale and peppers. Add 1 tablespoon more of olive oil. Season with just a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a pinch of the red pepper flakes just for flavor, add more if you like it spicy! Saute for about 5 minutes just enough to soften the veggies, but not overcook them. You want to keep the bright red of the pepper and the bright green in the kale! Add the beef broth and simmer for a couple minutes then remove from heat.
Cook the orecchiette pasta according to package in salted boiling water. Scoop out the pasta with a slotted spoon and add to the sausage and peppers. Toss in the fresh parsley and the parmesan. Add a little of the pasta water if you like it more saucy, otherwise leave it out.
This is a really easy dish to do substitutions! If you don’t have kale on hand, use baby spinach. If you don’t have the peppers, use tomatoes. It’s a very hearty pasta dish, very delicious for a quick meal!
Enjoy my little dish!