Chicken Sausage and Kale Pasta Recipe

This week has been vacation Bible school at my church, and time has been tight.  It's so hard to get dinner cooked, on the table, consumed, and out the door by 600.  It's in moments like these that I fall into the trap of running through the drive thru and putting God only knows what in my body.  That's why it is so important to have quick, easy, and healthy meals in your back pocket.  One such meal for me is my Chicken Sausage and Kale Pasta.

Since trying to clean up my eating, chicken sausage has been my go to easy, lean protein.  I can't get enough of it.  The convienece of fast cooking make it perfect for this dish.  Not to mention that it's a one pot meal, ready in about 20 minutes.  I know you are going to love this recipe so....

Let's Get Started!

Chicken Sausage and Kale Pasta Recipe:
*Prep Time: 10 min *Cook Time: 10 min *Difficulty:  Easy *Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. of Whole Wheat Pasta, your choice
• 2 large handfuls of Curly Kale, chopped and stemmed
• 1 12 oz package of Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used the spinach and feta cheese in this post, but any will do.)
• 1 28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion, diced
• 4 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I forgot to take a picture of this step, but before you begin anything, you will want to bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  

Next, place a deep skillet over medium/high heat and add a little oil to it.
Allow the pan time to get HOT.

Once the pan is hot add the chicken sausage and allow it to brown on both sides.
This should take about 5 min.

Once the chicken sausage is browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and add your onion and garlic.
Cook until you smell the garlic coming from the pan, and the onions are soft.

Add a little salt and pepper.

Then add the kale.

One of the things that I started doing to help save time in the kitchen is buying the pre stemmed and chopped kale.  Cost wise it's not that much different, and it's a time consuming step that I don't have to mess with.

Toss the kale with the onions and garlic, then cover, and let steam while you get the pasta going.

At this point you can add the pasta to the salted boiling water. I used a whole wheat rotini here, but you can use any kind you like.
 
Cook according to the directions on the box.

Once the pasta is boiling, you can add the tomatoes to the pan.

Then I like to add a half can of water to the pan as well.
This helps to create a little more sauce.

Now return the chicken sausage to the pan.

And bring to a simmer.

Cover and let simmer while the pasta is cooking.

Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain, and add it to the sauce.

Give everything a little toss, taste to see if it needs any salt or pepper, and you are ready to go!

There you have it!  A gorgeous and healthy meal, on the table in about 20 minutes.  I like to serve this Chicken Sausage with Kale Pasta with a lovely side salad.  It's absolutely delicious, so get in the kitchen and give it a try TONIGHT!  I would love to hear about what some of your favorite weeknight meals are, so leave them in the comments below.

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife

Chicken Sausage and Kale Pasta Recipe:
*Prep Time: 10 min *Cook Time: 10 min *Difficulty:  Easy *Servings: 4


PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. of Whole Wheat Pasta, your choice
• 2 large handfuls of Curly Kale, chopped and stemmed
• 1 12 oz package of Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used the spinach and feta cheese in this post, but any will do.)
• 1 28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion, diced
• 4 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. 
2. Place a deep skillet over medium/high heat and add a little oil. 
3. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken sausage and allow to brown on both sides.  
4. When the chicken sausage is browned on both sides, remove from the pan. 
5. To the hot pan add the onion and garlic.  Cook until you smell the garlic coming from the pan, and the onions are soft and translucent. 
6. To the pan add the kale.  Toss the kale with the onions and garlic, and cover. 
7. Let the kale steam while you prep the pasta. 
8. Add the pasta to the salted, boiling, water, and cook according to directions.  
9. Now to the pan with the kale add the tomatoes, 1/2 can of water, chicken sausage, salt, and pepper.  Cover and let simmer while the pasta is cooking. 
10. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain, and add to the pan. 
11. Toss everything together. 
12. Serve and Enjoy!