Sausage, Greens and Beans Pasta With a Simple Professional Twist

This hearty, one-dish meal involves a pasta making method frequently used by professional chefs—yet it’s simple enough for weeknight dinners. In this recipe, the pasta is partially cooked in water and then finished in a glossy parmesan sauce. And although the recipe calls for rigatoni, you can easily substitute any type of large tubular pasta.

Buy dry cannellini beans in bulk to save money, and cook large amounts of them at a time, freezing small portions for use in other recipes (or more sausage, greens and beans pasta!). If you prefer the convenience of canned beans, use a 15.5-ounce can instead—just make sure to rinse and drain them first.

You can use any type of Italian sausage in this recipe: loose or links, sweet or spicy. If you opt for link sausage, remove and discard the casings before frying the meat. Note that there is also flexibility in the liquid and greens used, with options for either white wine or broth and kale or escarole. Swiss chard works well, too, and adds some fun color to the dish.

We recommend using a Dutch oven for this recipe, though any heavy pot with high sides will do. Just don’t use your pasta pot—you’ll need that too! Remember to reserve the cooking liquid after boiling the pasta, as you will need this for the sauce. Instead of pouring the pasta into a colander, use a large slotted spoon or a spider, if you have one, to transfer the pasta from one pot to the other.

Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. olive oil
• ½ tsp. dried rosemary
• 8 oz. Italian sausage
• 1 ½ c. cooked cannellini beans
• ¼ c. dry white wine or broth
• 12 oz. rigatoni
• 8 c. chopped kale or escarole
• ¾ c. finely grated parmesan
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with water and put on the stove to boil.
• Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, then add the sausage and fry until browned and fully cooked, about 8–10 minutes.
• Transfer the sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes less than what the package calls for.
• While the pasta cooks, add the remaining oil along with the beans and rosemary to the Dutch oven. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until browned in spots, tossing the beans and mashing some with a wooden spoon.
• Remove half of the beans and place on the plate with the sausage.
• Add the wine or broth to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, and cook until nearly evaporated.
• Transfer the pasta to the Dutch oven (reserve cooking water).
• Add the kale and 1 cup of the pasta water. Cook while tossing with tongs until the kale is wilted, pasta is al dente, and sauce has thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Add an additional ¼ cup of pasta water. Sprinkle in ½ cup cheese, tossing gently until you have a glossy sauce.
• Add more pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
• Season with pepper and salt, if desired, then add the butter and toss until melted.
• Stir in the sausage and reserved beans.
• Serve warm with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Guest Post Author’s Bio:

Melissa is a freelance writer and food blogger at recipe-barn.com. She is very passionate about cooking, creating and sharing unique recipes or just simply cooking good food. Melissa has also developed an interest in a variety of other things including healthy diet and traveling in new places around the globe to experience different cuisines and learning different cultures.