Our creamy Sausage Kale Pasta is a hearty one pot wonder that will save you both time and dirty pots and pans.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This One Pot Pasta Recipe
- Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Sausage Pasta
- Recipe Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Italian Sausage Recipes
- One Pot Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale Recipe
This recipe is…
You’ve probably seen this curious cooking trend: instead of cooking pasta and sauce the usual way (dropping dry pasta into a boiling pot of water — making sauce in a second), all the ingredients get thrown into one pot that simmers down into a complete dish. It saves dishes…but does it work? And most importantly: does it taste good?
Our creamy sausage kale pasta proves the answers are yes and yes. Made with a flavor-packed combo of Italian sausage, kale, lemons, garlic, and capers, this delicious one pot pasta is a crowd-pleaser that you’ll want to make again and again.
Plus, it comes together easily with just 15 minutes of prep, and 15 minutes of cook time. Like our Creamy Chicken Piccata Skillet, Homemade Ramen, and Shredded Chicken Tacos, it will help you get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less — making it a great option for busy weeknights.
Why You’ll Love This One Pot Pasta Recipe
- Fewer dishes to clean! Instead of two pots, a colander, and multiple utensils, you’ll only need one pot and one spoon to make this Italian sausage pasta.
- Weeknight-friendly recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes.
- It’s EASY to make gluten-free.
Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe Ingredients
Our spicy Italian sausage pasta comes together quickly, and without a lot of fuss. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Pasta – we suggest long strand pasta like spaghetti or linguine, but you could use any other shape
- Kale – two full heads of lacinato kale give this sausage pasta a huge hit of vitamins A and C.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- This recipe calls for fresh lacinato kale, which you may also see labeled as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, or cavolo nero. If you have trouble finding it, feel free to substitute the same amount of curly kale, Swiss chard, or spinach.
- Up your veggie intake by adding mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or peas.
- Punch up the flavor of this dish even more by adding herbs like basil or parsley, or nuts like walnuts or pine nuts for crunch.
How to Make Sausage Pasta
Here’s how this recipe comes together quickly in just one pot!
Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot (large enough for the pasta to fit in also), over medium heat. Once hot, add the sausage and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Once the sausage is fully cooked, add the pasta, sliced garlic, half of the olive oil, salt, and 4½ cups of water to the pot with the sausage. Bring the ingredients to a boil.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium and set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir the pasta occasionally as it cooks to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Step 4: After the 10 minutes is up, stir in the kale and lemon juice, and let everything cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and a thick sauce has formed, then remove from heat.
Step 5: Finally, add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and capers to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook it. The biggest key to this pasta is to make sure you watch it closely and don’t let it overcook! If the pasta overcooks it will become mushy and create a gloppy, starchy sauce.
- Prep all your ingredients in advance. It might seem like there will be plenty of time to wash and chop the kale, squeeze the lemon, and grate the cheese while the pasta is cooking. But those minutes go by quickly, and any delay can lead to mushy, overcooked pasta. For this recipe, be sure to prep all your ingredients ahead of time.
- Stir it as it cooks. Since less water is used with this one-pot method, the pasta can easily stick to the bottom of the pot. So it’s important to give the pasta a stir every few minutes to keep it from sticking.
- If you find it too starchy, add a bit of water or broth. If needed, add a bit of water or broth to thin out the sauce.
How to Serve
Bring this pot to the table and serve it up nice and hot! If you’d like, set out bowls of extra parmesan and red pepper flakes.
This pasta has it all – protein, carbs, and a healthy dose of green veggies, so it can totally be served all on its own for a filling, complete, and absolutely delicious meal. But if you’d like to have a side to serve alongside this one pan dish, this simple arugula salad is a nice pairing.
How to Store and Reheat
Sore any leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to three days.
Reheat in a microwave, or in a pot with a little chicken broth or water to help make up for the starchy pasta water sauce that the noodles will absorb as it’s stored.
Frequently Asked Questions
The one pot method takes a more streamlined approach to cooking pasta and sauce. Instead of a boiling pot of water for the sauce, another pot for simmering the sauce, a colander, and a couple utensils, all of the ingredients get combined in one cooking vessel that doesn’t need to be drained. By using less water than you would if you were boiling and then draining the pasta water, the liquid reduces, creating a starchy, creamy sauce as it cooks down.
For this recipe, the best pasta shape is a long strand shape like linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, or bucatini. But shorter shapes like rigatoni, orecchiette are great options too!
When you cook pasta, it releases starch into the water (that’s what gives pasta water that cloudy look). Known as “liquid gold,” it’s a natural thickener and emulsifier that binds all of the ingredients together to create a silky sauce.
More Favorite Italian Sausage Recipes
If you tried this Sausage Kale Pasta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
One Pot Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine, this one is our favorite for gluten-free
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Zest of one lemon, about 1 teaspoon
- Juice of two lemons, about ¼ cup
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt,
- 2 heads lacinato kale, de-stemmed and chopped
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, optional
- 1/4 cup capers
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Fresh cracked black pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot (large enough for the pasta to fit in also), over medium heat. Once hot, add the sausage and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Once the sausage is fully cooked, add the pasta, sliced garlic, half of the olive oil, salt, and 4½ cups of water to the pot with the sausage. Bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir the pasta occasionally as it cooks to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- After the 10 minutes is up, stir in the kale and lemon juice, and let everything cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and a thick sauce has formed, then remove from heat.
- Finally, add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and capers to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Don’t overcook it. The biggest key to this pasta is to make sure you watch it closely and don’t let it overcook! If the pasta overcooks it will become mushy and create a gloppy, starchy sauce.
- Prep all your ingredients in advance. It might seem like there will be plenty of time to wash and chop the kale, squeeze the lemon, and grate the cheese while the pasta is cooking. But those minutes go by quickly, and any delay can lead to mushy, overcooked pasta. For this recipe, be sure to prep all your ingredients ahead of time.
- Stir it as it cooks. Since less water is used with this one-pot method, the pasta can easily stick to the bottom of the pot. So it’s important to give the pasta a stir every few minutes to keep it from sticking.
- If you find it too starchy, add a bit of water or broth. If needed, add a bit of water or broth to thin out the sauce.
Nutrition
This was listed on this weeks menu in the newsletter and it was amazing for this warm spring night. It was a HIT! Adding to rotation. So easy and fresh and something I would have never thought to put together. Who knew I liked kale like this! Going to mod with some protein pasta next time to kick it up a notch!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Erin! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us!
Has anyone tried this without the cheese? My kiddos are DF and I wonder if this isn’t quite the same without the parm. Thanks!
v easy & super flavorful. followed the directions exactly & added the red pepper flakes at the end.
So glad you enjoyed this, Ashton! Thank you for sharing with us!
Loved this! Followed recipe as listed (except doubled the sausage) and it was delicious!
So glad you loved it, Kelsey!
This came together like something out of Harry Potter! Legit sorcery. So delicious and the same mouth feel of the creamy pasta I’ve been missing since going DF. Definitely going in the rotation. Great job!
Yeah!!! So glad you loved this, Amanda! Thank you for sharing!!!
Not our favorite. I’m not sure if I did something wrong because every other recipe I’ve tried has been delicious.
Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear that, Doreen!!
Made it last night with regular wheat penne and it was delicious- nice bright lemon flavor balances the rich creamy sauce and sausage. This one is a keeper!
We’re so glad you loved it, Pati! Thank you so much for sharing!
This looks and sounds delicious. Just to clarify, cooking is done uncovered?
Yep, that’s right, Krista! Enjoy!
Have to say… I wasn’t sure about pasta in one pot but…. This is was so dang good! Will definitely be a go to dish for us because it makes such a good amount & really quick for a weeknight dinner! I actually had ground loose sausage to use so I precooked it on Sunday and then used that in the recipe and it was perfect.
Love that! So yummy!! Thanks for sharing with us, Jessica!
This was a HIT! We loved the fresh flavors, the one pot meal, and how quickly it came together. Thank you for this!!!
That’s awesome, Nicki!! We’re so glad you loved it!
Just to clarify, the chicken sausage must be cooked prior to adding in with the pasta?
We recommend using pre-cooked sausage, like these, rather than uncooked sausage.
I almost always overcook gluten-free pasta and this turned out beautifully! And easy and packed with flavor.
This was delicious and family approved! I found I did have to drain some excess water to avoid overcooking my noodles. I was quite skeptical about this working but it’s going to be part of our regular meals! Thanks for this easy, delicious recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Hope!
One post pasta with italian sausage and kale is looks perfect. Thanks for sharing
This turned out great! Even the two year old enjoyed it. (Cassy’s lemony kale hack has changed my life. I’ve never craved kale before now. Haha!)
This is going in the archive for easy weeknight meals. So thankful for minimal dishes, we ended up using paper plates which made it even easier to clean up!