Description
Baked Pasta with Kale and Sausage is a casserole that’s made with pasta, sausage, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy white sauce. It’s a deliciously healthy comfort food with gluten-free and vegetarian options.
Scale
Ingredients
- 4-ounces pork sausage or turkey sausage link with casing removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 8 ounces of uncooked penne or ziti pasta
- 2 cups packed shredded kale
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or arrowroot for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon organic butter (olive oil can be substituted)
- 1cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or combination of 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
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.
- turn the heat to low and gradually stir in the milk stirring until the mixture starts to thicken
- add the 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 a little bit of cheese if desired 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 chick peas
- Replace flour in sauce with the same amount of arrow-root to thicken the sauce
Nutrition information is provided by Nutrifox, an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Pasta, casserole, baked pasta, dinner