Sausage Kale Pasta Bake

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Creamy kale and sausage pasta bake is pure comfort food that can be ready in less than an hour!
The finished baked casserole

Creamy sausage kale pasta bake is made with spicy Italian sausage, fresh chopped kale and sun-dried tomatoes tossed in white cream sauce. It’s spicy, packed with flavor and it’s pure comfort food!

A plate of creamy pasta with sausage, kale and sun dried tomaotes

When it comes to vegetables, I always say more is better even when pasta is involved. This pasta bake is filled with nutrient-dense kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and a little bit of sausage for flavor.  

In addition to kale’s nutrition benefits, it’s so hearty, it really holds up well dishes like this as it does in this white bean and kale soup.

Why you will 🤍 this recipe

  • Sausage kale pasta bake is made with fresh, healthy and simple ingredients.
  • It’s a flavorful easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
  • This recipe is easy to make ahead of time – perfect for meal prep.
all of the ingredients for this recipe: cheese, sausage, garlic, milk sun dried tomatoes, pasta, kale butter and flour

Here is what you will need

This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe; scroll down for a printable recipe card with exact measurements and detailed instructions.

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🛒Ingredients

  • Italian sausage
  • Pasta
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Fresh kale
  • Sun-dried tomatoes (dry pack)
  • Flour
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Milk
  • Nutmeg

🥄Equipment

How to make kale and sausage pasta bake

Prepare the ingredients: Cook the pasta according to the package instructions for al dente pasta (approximately 8 minutes cooking time). While the pasta is cooking, chop the onions, garlic cloves, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Drain and rinse the pasta and place it into a mixing bowl.

sausage cooking in a cast iron skillet

Step 1. Cook the sausage

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage until it is cooked through (about 5 minutes). If you are using sausage links, break the sausage meat up into pieces as the sausage is cooking. Drain off the excess fat, and place the sausage into the bowl with the cooked pasta.

Step 2. Assemble the casserole

Add the kale, sun-dried tomatoes and sausage to the mixing bowl with the sausage and pasta.

a mixing bowl filled with pasta, sundried tomatoes, kale and cooked sausage

onions garlic and butter cooking in a saucepan

Step 3. Make the sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan along with chopped garlic and onions. Cook over medium heat until they begin to soften. Turn the heat to low heat, and stir in the flour until it forms a paste.

Step 4. Add milk

Gradually add the milk to the paste or roux while stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

Sauce prepared and made in a pot
sausage, kale pasta mixture mixed together in a mixing bowl

Step 5. Stir in the sauce

Pour the prepared sauce over the pasta mixture in the bowl, stir gently to combine all the ingredients, and pour it into a 9X13 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Pasta – Any pasta shape can be used to make this pasta bake recipe. I like to use whole wheat penne or fussili but it’s your preference.

If you are gluten-free this recipe will work with gluten-free pasta too.

Sausage – We like spicy Italian sausage, but you can use mild Italian sausage. Pork sausage, turkey sausage, chicken sausage or vegan sausages will all work in this recipe.

Kale – The best type of kale to make this casserole is lacinato (also known as Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale), it’s a little more tender than curly kale and easy to manage. If lacinato kale is not available, it can be substituted with curly kale, Russian kale, baby kale or spinach.

Sun-dried tomatoes – Look for dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, not the ones packed in oil. If you only have oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinse them well before adding them to the mixing bowl.

The finished baked casserole

How to store leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and reheated in the oven or microwave.

Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and heat it up in the oven.

What to serve with kale and sausage pasta bake

This recipe is filled with vegetables and almost a one-pot meal all by itself, but it tastes great with a delicious arugula salad, zucchini salad or spinach salad.

The pasta bake on a plate with a fork

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Recipe variations

Dairy-free sausage pasta bake – replace the milk with an equal amount of plant-based milk and add 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to the sauce instead of parmesan cheese. Top the pasta with vegan cheese before baking.

Vegetarian pasta bake – replace the sausage with vegan sausage or add two chopped and sauteed portobello mushroom caps, with a dash of fennel for a sausage flavor.

Gluten-free sausage pasta bake – Replace the pasta with gluten-free pasta and the flour with gluten-free flour or arrowroot.

Extra spicy sausage pasta bake – Add a 1/2 to a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the cream sauce for extra spice.

💡Tips

  • Cook the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes less than the package requires so that it’s al dente which will prevent it from becoming soggy during the baking process.
  • Make two batches and freeze one for another day.
How to make kale and sausage pasta bake ahead of time?

Follow the instructions in the recipe card to make the recipe (cook the pasta, chop the vegetables, make the sauce and assemble the casserole) but don’t bake it. Wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months. Bring the casserole dish to room temperature and bake in a 350-degree oven.

How do you cut kale?

Here is an easy way to cut kale: first, remove the stems by folding the kale leaves in half and stacking them on top of each other, making sure that the stem is on one side and the leaves are on the other side. Use a sharp knife to slice away the stem. Next, roll the leaves to slice the leaves into ribbons.

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The finished baked casserole

Baked Pasta with Kale and Sausage

Creamy kale and sausage pasta bake is pure comfort food that can be ready in less than an hour!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Click on serving size to scale this recipe

Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: sausage kale pasta bake
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 399kcal
Author: Anne
Scale this Recipe 6 People

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces Italian Sausage Pork, turkey or chicken
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion diced
  • 8 ounces penne pasta
  • 2 cups kale shredded
  • 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes dry pack
  • 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter unsalted
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

  • pre-heat the oven to 350
  • cook the pasta for 8 minutes, while the pasta is cooking chop the kale and sun-dried tomatoes and place them in a mixing bowl.
  • once the pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse it in cold water, add it to the mixing bowl with the kale and sun-dried tomatoes
  • cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through. If you are using links, break them into bite-sized pieces.
  • once the sausage is cooked through, drain off the excess fat and place it into the bowl with the pasta and kale.
  • to make the sauce: add the butter or olive to a saucepan along with the garlic and onions, cook them until they begin to soften and stir in the flour to make a roux (thick paste).
  • turn the heat to low and gradually stir in the milk  stirring until the mixture starts to thicken 
  • add the parmesan cheese and stir until all is melted and add the nutmeg
  • pour the sauce over the pasta mixture in the bowl and mix well
  • add the pasta mixture to a 9X13 casserole dish
  • sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Notes

Variations 

 Vegetarian

  • leave out the sausage and add two chopped and sauteed portobello mushroom caps

Gluten-Free

  • Use gluten-free pasta such as pasta made with quinoa or chickpeas
  • Replace flour in the sauce with the same amount of arrowroot to thicken the sauce
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2511IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used

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