What a wild week … thank goodness it’s almost Friday. So I’ll just cut to the chase – and what you likely came here for: this rigatoni with sausage and red kale recipe. And boy is it delicious!
You’d be hard-pressed to find a pasta dish I didn’t like, but there are very few that I’d make and devour again and again. Rigatoni with sausage and red kale is one of them. It’s a quick and easy meal that hits the spot, especially on a hectic evening!
Beyond the obvious ingredients, a few additions take the recipe over the top, including fennel (bulb and seeds), white wine and heavy cream. I mean, what’s not to love?
Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum.
Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Kale
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus more for finish
- 1 cup diced fennel bulb
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from its casing
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 cups roughly chopped red kale leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and transfer to a large bowl.
- In the same pot used to cook the pasta, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 8-10 minutes.
- Add sausage and brown, breaking it into bite-size pieces with a spoon.
- Reduce heat to low. Add garlic, fennel seeds and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Add wine, scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon and simmer until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until just barely wilted, about 2 minutes. Add chili flakes and salt and stir to combine.
- Add cooked pasta, ¾ cup reserved cooking liquid and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If necessary, add additional cooking liquid to loosen the sauce. Season with additional salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and top with additional Parmesan cheese.
