Pasta with Italian Sausage, Kale and Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked pasta (I used campanelle)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1 pound Italian sausage (traditional (chicken or Field Roast*), sliced into rounds or crumbled)
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound (16 ounces) baby bella or white button mushrooms (quartered)
• 1 bunch fresh kale (roughly chopped (coarse stems removed))
• 8 cloves garlic (peeled and thinly-sliced (or minced))
• 1/3 cup dry white wine**
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• lots and lots of Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. 1

   Cook pasta in a large stock pot of generously-salted boiling water al dente according to package instructions.   Then reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water on the side for later.  Drain the pasta, and set it aside.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, as the pasta water is heating and the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the Italian sausage and sauté, flipping and stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and crispy on both sides.  Transfer the sausage to a separate plate with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

3. 3

   Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan (or add less oil if you’re using traditional sausage that left behind grease after cooking), and add the mushrooms.  Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.  Then add in the kale and garlic, and sauté for 3-4 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the kale is softened.  Add in the white wine and crushed red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.  Simmer for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Combine the cooked pasta with the mushroom mixture and sausage, and toss to combine.  Stir in some of the reserved pasta water if you’d like a slightly more saucy pasta.

5. 5

   Serve immediately, garnished with lots of Parmesan cheese.