Sausage & Kale Pasta

I've made this pasta a couple of times now and it is delicious.  My husband is a huge fan of pastas without a red sauce (less heartburn from all the acid) and I'm a fan of finding flavorful ways to use kale.  My kids still like red sauces so I made them a red sauce with the sausage  and then I could spice up ours even more. This basic recipe idea & method lends itself to different variations.

Any kind of noodle will do - I've used rotini & fusilli in the past.  I also usually buy chicken or turkey sausage (spicy Italian and uncooked) for this recipe.

Sausage & Kale Pasta (4 servings)

originally from Kalyn's Kitchen

3 links (12 oz) hot Italian sausage

8 oz kale leaves, thinly sliced

6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 T (plus more for the pan) olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your tastes)

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 lb pasta

1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot, squeeze the sausage out of the casings and cook until it's browned, breaking up larger pieces and so it's crumbled.  Remove the sausage from the pot and if there's a lot of grease from the sausage, pour or wipe it out.   Add 3 T olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium until you can barely start to smell garlic (don't let it brown) and then add the kale.  Saute the kale with the garlic and oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the kale is all wilted.  Add the chicken broth and the cooked sausage to the pot.  Lower to a gentle simmer.  Let it cook while you make the pasta.

Add the pasta to boiling water and follow the package directions for cooking time.  Save 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.  Gently mix the cooked pasta into the sausage & kale mixture.  I usually don't' add it all at once because I don't like there to be too many noodles proportionate to the sausage and kale.  Add a little pasta water until it's just moistened.  Then mix in the Parmesan cheese and serve pasta hot, with extra Parmesan cheese to add at the table.