The pasta is coated with a velvety blanket of cheesy goodness. And 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 sausage sage pasta some color and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal.
It’s one of my go-to meals. I’ve been making this dish for many years and even my picky eaters love it! They do eat around the kale.
This is the perfect comforting weeknight meal for cool fall evenings and cold winter nights. Of course, you can make it all year if you like.
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.
Why you love sausage sage pasta
Here are three reasons why a parent with picky eaters would love a weeknight recipe for sausage sage pasta:
- If you have a picky eater at home, serve the pasta and kale sauce separate. And omit the step of adding the grated cheese to the dish and simply serve it on the side.
- This pasta dish is quick and simple enough for a weeknight.
- Leftovers reheat well and sausage sage pasta makes a hearty thermos lunch.
Ingredients to make this pasta with sage and sausage
- Sweet Italian sausage: Want a little kick to the dish? Use a spicy sausage instead.
- Olive oil: I use Kirkland brand extra virgin olive oil.
- Onion and garlic add depth to the flavor of the pasta dish.
- 1 box pasta: I tend to make this pasta dinner with penne or farfalle, but you can use your favorite shape.
- Fresh sage leaves: I love sage. It makes me think of cool fall days and changing leaves. If you don’t have sage, or don’t like it, you can use rosemary.
- Chicken stock: If you don’t have chicken stock, water works fine. The dish won’t have quite the depth of flavor, but it still tastes great because the sausage and sage, plus the onions, garlic, and kale add flavor.
- Kale removed from stems and then torn and rinsed. If you don’t like kale feel free to use a different green. Mixed greens, arugula, or spinach would work well.
- Fontal cheese or another mild cheese that melts easily like Monterey jack or mozzarella.
- Salt and pepper to taste: For cooking, I use Diamond Crystals Kosher salt. If you use table salt, like Morton’s salt, use half the salt called for in the recipe.
Leftover pasta with sage and sausage makes 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 sausage sage pasta and a few variations
One of the nice things about this sausage sage pasta is its versatility.
- Add one can of drained white beans to make the dish even heartier.
- What to make this sausage sage pasta vegetarian? Omit the sausage and use white beans instead. And use water or vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.
- Try a different kind of sausage. Do you prefer spicy sausage or sweet sausage? You could use sage sausage or an apple sage sausage too.
- 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, arugula, or other greens instead of kale.
- Try a different kind of cheese that melts well. (I’ve only made this with Fontina or Fontal cheese).
1. 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.
2. 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.
Dice the onion, garlic and sage. And add to the sauté pan you used to brown the sausage and cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions begin to look translucent.
Grate the cheese. This is a good opportunity to have kids help.
I typically serve this pasta with sage and sausage 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 Sausage, Sage, Kale and Fontal Cheese
Pasta with Sausage, Sage, Kale and Fontal CheeseIngredients
- 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
We’re Elizabeth & Anna!
It’s great to have you here. We’re registered dietitians and we share tips to support you in raising kids with a healthy relationship with food.
