Sunny Side Up Nutrition

A cooking, nutrition and family feeding blog to simplify your life

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Easy, Cheesy Pasta with Sausage, Sage and Kale

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We haven’t had many nice cold days here in Alexandria, VA this winter. I love cold weather, in part because I love making cold weather dishes like this Cheesy Pasta with Sausage and Sage. It seems like a good idea to share it now, before the weather warms up for Spring. The pasta is coated with a velvety blanket of cheesy goodness. Who doesn’t love cheese?! The sausage is sliced and then browned to give it nice crispy edges and to flavor the dish. Add some kale at the end, to give the dish some color and texture and you’ve got yourself a delicious pasta!

Leftovers make great lunches and snacks!

We like to keep things simple here at Sunny Side Up. This recipe allows you to do exactly that! It has just 8 ingredients and can be made in about 30 minutes (really)! Cheesy Pasta with Sausage, Sage and Kale is a favorite in my house. Admittedly, there are 2 of the 4 of us who eat around the kale. A dish that everyone likes is definitely a win! Plus, it reheats beautifully, so the leftovers work well packed in a thermos for lunch the next day or reheated for a snack. We’re definitely big fans of using leftovers for lunches (and snacks).

Making the pasta and a few variations

One of the nice things about this dish is it’s versatility.

  • Try a different kind of sausage. Do you prefer spicy sausage or sweet sausage? (I haven’t made it with spicy sausage because I’m a bit of a spice wimp).
  • Deglaze the pan with white wine – After removing the sausage from the pan, deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine and reduce by 1/2. Then add the 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Doing this will give the dish some brightness and depth of flavor.
  • Use rosemary instead of sage.
  • Add spinach, or arugula or other greens instead of the kale.
  • Try a different kind of cheese that melts well. (I’ve only made this with Fontina or Fontal cheese).
  • Add white beans to make the dish even heartier.
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1. Slice the sausage. 2. Brown the sausage. 3. Remove the sausage from the pan and reserve and chop the onion, garlic and sage.
Grate the cheese. A great job for older kids.

I typically serve this with my Favorite Everyday Salad and a baguette (if I have one). Let us know if you make this! We love to hear from our readers!

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Pasta with Sweet Sausage, Sage, Kale and Fontal Cheese

Cheesy Pasta with Sausage, Sage and Kale

A tasty and hearty pasta dish that’s ready in 30 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Simple Pleasures: Home Cooking from the Gotham Bar and Grill’s Acclaimed Chef, by Alfred Portale and Andrew Friedman.

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
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Ingredients

1 box pasta, cooked aldente

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 package mild Italian sausages ( about 6 sausages), sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced crosswise

1/2 small onion, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup diced onion)

2 gloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 generous Tablespoon fresh sage leaves chopped

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1–2 cups of kale, removed from stems and then torn and rinsed 

2 cups (about 8 ounces) Fontal cheese (or other mild cheese that melts easily). 

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a large pot of well salted water over high heat for the pasta.  

While the water is coming to a boil, begin making the sauce. Slice each sausage lengthwise. Then place the  slices cut side down and slice the lengthwise pieces. The slices will look like half moons.

Over medium high heat, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold the pasta and sauce. Add the sliced sausage and brown stirring occasionally. Once the sausage is browned, turn off the heat and put the sausage in a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat to medium. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and sauté for a few more minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Allow the stock to simmer for about 5 minutes or has reduced by half. 

Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook until aldente. (I cook the pasta just a few minutes less than the package directions). When the pasta is cooked drain it and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Rinse and tear the kale. Add it to the sauté pan along with the browned sausage you set aside earlier. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes or until the kale turns bright green. 

Turn off the heat under the sautè pan. Add the cooked pasta and the grated cheese and stir. Scrape the bottom of the pan periodically to catch any cheese that might stick to the bottom.

Add some of the reserved pasta water and stir again. Add a few turns of freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust add more salt and pepper if needed.

Optional – Serve with some additional grated cheese.

Notes

* Cook the pasta aldente because you’re adding it to a sauce. The cooked pasta will absorb the sauce and may become too soft if you cook it as long as the package suggests. I just cook the pasta a few minutes less than the directions on the package.

** You can use more or less kale (or another green). 

*** You can use less cheese if you prefer.

 

Make These Easy Baked Beans To Simplify Your Lunch Packing Routine

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Leftover baked beans make a great lunch.

It’s that time of year when, if you’re like me, you’ve been tired of packing lunches for awhile now. We’ve got about 5 months of school left. So, you might also be looking for something new and SIMPLE to add to your lunch list? I know I am!

Do you want to simplify packing lunches? Try making a Master Lunch List.

What do I mean by a lunch list? Anna and I are both fans of keeping a list of all the lunch items we pack. We call it our Master Lunch List. We write out all the entrees, sides and fruit and veggie ideas we pack. When we can’t think of anything to pack, or we’re doing our weekly meal planning we can refer to our list for ideas. And we periodically add new items to the list – like the Easy Baked Beans recipe in this post!

Another Tip To Streamline Packing Lunches

Another way we like to streamline packing lunches is to plan ahead and make 1-2 dinners with enough for leftovers. For example, I’ll make a bigger batch of pasta with pesto and send the leftovers for lunch the next day or 2. Or, I’ll cook something I can use for lunches while I’m cooking dinner. I might make my easy black beans to use for lunches and snacks while I’m cooking something else for dinner – especially on a weekend when I have some extra time.

A note on this photo: I don’t always buy organic beans. This is what I happened to buy this time. Sometimes I buy non-organic. It often comes down to what I grab off the shelves. I also buy different brands of canned beans.

Easy baked bean leftovers make a great thermos lunch for school.

Recently, I’ve rediscovered baked beans as an easy lunch entrée. I used to send heated, canned baked beans for my older daughter when she was in elementary school, but for some unknown reason, I stopped. Maybe she told me she was tired of them? Maybe it was because I knew my younger daughter didn’t like baked beans and I didn’t want to be making two different lunches. Who knows! But I do know it’s been a long time since baked beans have been on my Master Lunch List.

The recipe is the epitome of SIMPLE! Minimal chopping, opening cans and adding ingredients to a pot and voila! My mother-n-law gave me the recipe for these baked beans and the word is her mother used to make them. I made a number of changes to the original recipe, like using fewer onions, adding extra beans, using dark brown sugar instead of light brown, using tomato puree instead of ketchup, and draining the beans. 

Sometimes, I make a double batch and freeze some to use during an especially busy week. They work well served on their own or over rice. They also work well as a side dish for many meals. And the leftovers are scrumptious heated and sent in a thermos for lunch! 

Just Keep Offering!

Caroline, my 15 year old, has always LOVED these beans. Ellie, my 12 year old never ate these – until just recently. We were at my in-laws and Ellie mentioned how much she loved the beans and asked if I’d please make them to put in lunches. Hooray! She’s been exposed to these beans since she was a baby and had never liked them. Just this morning, out of curiosity, I asked Ellie about the beans. She said, “Oh, I had baked beans at sleep away camp this past summer and they were great! So when we had them at Nana and PopPop’s, I tried them and loved them even more than the ones at camp.” Hearing this was somewhat of a relief, because it’s evidence I’m raising her to be able to make do with what’s available. It’s also a reminder to “just keep offering!”

When I asked what Ellie was in the mood for in her lunches this week, she said “baked beans!” Great–because I made 3 batches this week testing this recipe!

Leftover baked beans make a great lunch.

Are you looking for more tips to simplify your lunch packing routine?

Do you find yourself wondering how you can simplify your lunch packing routine? We’re putting our tried and true formula down in an e-book to share with you! Would you like to be one of the first to know when it’s available to purchase? Click here now!

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Easy Baked Beans

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
Scale

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 small onions, chopped

1 15 oz can baked beans (I use vegetarian baked beans but you can use regular)

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can white beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1 ⅓ cup water

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon dry mustard ( or 1 tablespoon dijon mustard)

½ cup tomato puree (or ketchup)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Chop the onion and garlic. Add olive oil to a dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauteé for 5-7 minutes. 
  3. While the garlic and onion are cooking, gather together the rest of the ingredients. 
  4. Drain and rinse the beans.
  5. Add all the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat under the beans.
  6. Place a lid on the pan and put them in a 350 F oven for 1 ½ hours. Stir twice during the hour and a half.
  7. Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Take the lid off and allow the beans to cool for a bit before serving.
  8. Allow to cool and store the leftovers covered in the refrigerator. 

 

Notes

These also freeze well if you want to make a double batch.