Sausage Kale Pasta Bake

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!

I always make a full portion of this recipe, even though I usually cook for two. The leftovers taste even better the next day and are perfect for a quick dinner on busy nights or easy grab-and-go lunches.

Here is what you will need

This is a brief summary of the ingredients needed to make this sausage kale pasta recipe and a convenient shopping list from my Instacart affiliate link. For a printable recipe card with exact measurements and detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card section.

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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.

Step 1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with a little bit of olive oil or your favorite cooking oil. 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. Add the kale, sun-dried tomatoes and sausage to the mixing bowl with the sausage and pasta.

Step 3. 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. Gradually whisk in the milk to the paste or roux while stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

Step 5. Pour the prepared sauce over the pasta mixture in the bowl and stir gently to combine all the ingredients. Once combined, pour it into a 9X13 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Pasta – You can use any type of pasta for this pasta bake recipe. I prefer penne or fusilli because they hold onto the delicious sauce well, but use whatever you like. If you’re gluten-free, you can also use gluten-free pasta in this recipe.

Sausage – We prefer spicy Italian sausage, but feel free to use mild Italian sausage, pork sausage, turkey sausage, chicken sausage, or vegan sausages in this recipe. All these options will work well in the dish.

Kale – The best kale to use for this casserole is lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan or dinosaur kale. It’s a bit more tender than curly kale and easier to work with. If you can’t find lacinato kale, you can swap it with curly kale, Russian kale, baby kale, or spinach.

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

Make-Ahead Instructions

This recipe is perfect for preparing in advance. Simply follow the recipe card instructions to prepare the dish (cook the pasta, chop the vegetables, make the sauce, and assemble the casserole), but hold off on baking it. Wrap it tightly, then refrigerate for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months. When ready to enjoy, let the casserole dish come to room temperature, then bake in a 350-degree oven.

How to store leftovers

If you have any leftovers, they can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheated in the oven or microwave. If you want to save them for longer, freeze the leftovers in a sealed container for up to three months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and warm them 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.

Recipe variations

Dairy-free – 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 – 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 – Replace the pasta with gluten-free pasta and the flour with gluten-free flour or arrowroot powder.

Spicy – Add a 1/2 to a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the cream sauce for extra spice.

Recipe FAQs

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