Dani's Corner

Dani Spies is a Certified Health and Nutrition Counselor, Fitness Trainer and Mom who is passionate about finding simple ways to make real, whole, nutrtious foods a part of an everyday kitchen. More about Dani »

Sign up to get recipes via email:

Or enter your email to receive my newsletter, which features lots of bonus information:

Sites To See

More Sites to See »

Winter Kale Pasta w/ Turkey Sausage - Video

It's cold and rainy here in So.Cal, so I was in the need of some comfort food.  I wanted to use up some Kale and so here's what I came up with...  Let me know what ya think!

Winter Kale Pasta w/ Turkey Sausage - Video

Ingredients

1 lb. of whole grain pasta 
3 links hot turkey sausage, removed from casings
½ red onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 bunches of kale, stemmed and chopped
1 cup of chicken stock
1-2 tbsp of white whole wheat flour
A cup of reserved pasta water
½ cup dried cherries
¼ cup pine nuts
A handful of crumbled feta

Serves 6.

Directions

Cook pasta according to the package, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Heat a large non-stick Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add sausage and break up with a spatula.  Allow sausage to cook for about five minutes or until it is no longer pink.

Push sausage to one side and add one teaspoon of olive oil along with the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Combine sausage with veggies and cook for another three to five minutes.

Add kale and chicken broth to the pot, cover and turn the heat up.  You’ll let this cook about five minutes or so, until all the kale has wilted down.

In the meantime, whisk the flour with a ½ cup of pasta water.  You want to play with this a little, adding some more water and flour until you have a thick, creamy, consistency.

Once the kale is wilted pour the “sauce” in and stir it all together.  Stir in the cherries and the pine nuts.

Serve and top with crumbled feta… Enjoy!!

Nutritional Analysis

Calories: 511; Total Fat: 14.4g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 32mg; Sodium: 483mg; Carbohydrate: 70.7g; Dietary Fiber: 14.1g; Sugars: 7.8g; Protein: 27.2g

Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Spring Time Asparagus Pasta
Moist and Tender Extra-Lean Turkey Meatballs
Pan Seared Chicken w/ Balsamic Strawberries (video)
Pesto (just a little lighter!)
Butternut Squash Chili w/ Kale

For more great turkey recipes, visit eatturkey.com.

Comments

Maya :

Hi Dani...
Another delicious recipe! I love the idea of the flour-pasta water sauce.

posted on January 26, 2008 7:59 AM

Nicole :

After watching your other kale video, I tried cooking it for the very first time and my husband and I loved it! I stir-fried it and mixed it with chow mein noodles and some spicy ginger-sesame sauce I made. I didn't write down the recipe but it was good and I want to start eating kale much more often. This recipe definitely sounds like something I would enjoy! Thanks for all the great info and inspiration to try new things!

posted on January 26, 2008 9:00 AM

Dani :

Maya - Thanks!
Nicole - Yeah!! I love that you gave it a tried and I'm so happy that you liked it!! Your stir-fry sounds great...

posted on January 26, 2008 4:41 PM

Kevin :

This pasta sounds really tasty! The use of the dried cherries is really interesting. Bookmarked to try.

posted on January 27, 2008 8:23 AM

Anticiplate :

Dani,
I made Rainbow chard last night for a dinner party, which is very similar to kale. It was so delicious and not as bitter as I thought. I bet you could use the same recipe for kale. You saute an onion in a large pot in olive oil. Then you add the chard stems from one large bunch of chard, coarsely chopped and saute with the onions. Then add 1/4 c. water cover and let cook for 3 minutes. Then you add the chopped leaves and another 1/4 c. water and cover for another 3 minutes. Then you season with salt and pepper and add toasted pine nuts to the top. It is DELICIOUS!

I love your pasta video! That dish looks satisfying and healthy.

-Kari

posted on January 27, 2008 10:48 AM

Dani :

Kevin - The cherries add a great pop!

Kari - Thanks for the recipe! I love Swiss Chard, although I do agree that you could easily sub in kale if you wanted!!

posted on January 27, 2008 1:30 PM

Alyssa :

Is it okay to substitute whole wheat flour with white flour?
and will not putting in the cherries affect it's flavour?

posted on January 29, 2008 2:46 PM

Kaman :

I made this for dinner today and it was AMAZING. I love the idea of taking the turkey sausages out of the casings and using it like preseasoned meat. I also did not use whole wheat flour, dried cherries, or the nuts. When I can get my hands on some of those ingredients, I will definitely cook it again. :)

posted on January 29, 2008 3:29 PM

Dani :

Alyssa - You can sub the white flour no problem. As for the cherries, if you skip them this dish will still be yummy!

Kaman - I'm so glad you liked it...it's an easy one:)!

posted on January 29, 2008 3:59 PM

Blessy :

Hi Dani,
Kale was a very new thing to my family. We tried it for the first time with this winter pasta recipe. It was very delicious. I substituted pistachios for pine nuts and raisins for red cherries (as I had only tht with me). This recipe is surely a keeper !!!!

posted on February 15, 2008 12:12 PM

Dani :

Blessy - So glad you liked it!! Isn't kale yummy?

posted on February 15, 2008 3:49 PM

katy :

I've been eating and making a lot of dishes with kale! Last night, I made a kale & carrot sautee and then rolled into the middle of sole fish (like I was stuffing the sole with the kale & carrot sautee!). I've also had a super yummy quinoa, kale, dried cherry salad at mani's!! and tonight, I might try putting kale in a lasagna instead of spinach. :) any healthier way to make lasagna? besides using whole grain lasagna pasta and non-fat cheeses?

posted on February 26, 2008 4:40 PM

Dani :

Katy - As for the lasagna, I'd say you've got it down! Whole grain noodles, part skim cheese, and pack in some veggies...sounds like a great meal to me:).

posted on February 27, 2008 8:59 AM

Angela :

Dani!

This recipe is absolutely amazing! With recent changes to the familial unit (my older sister, who used to cook a lot, recently moved out) my mom's been relying on me to help get meals on the table. I'm not the greatest chef around, but a couple of days ago I tried this recipe and it was a total success!

There is a really nice soup at the Olive Garden that uses kale...Mom and I have been trying to filch it for, well, forever, haha. It's got kale, Italian sausage, and potatoes, and the soup itself is a creamy, smooth one. It's really quite delicious!

posted on March 22, 2008 4:11 PM

Dani :

Angela - It sounds like your a great cook and that soup you are describing sounds yummy!

posted on March 23, 2008 7:37 AM

Dani :

Yum!!! I just finished making and trying this recipe for the first time and loved it! Kale is new to me and this recipe really combined flavors well. I'm not sure if it was the type of turkey sausage I chose or a little too many red pepper flakes, but it was spicy (which I loved). You're right. Definitely a keeper!

posted on March 1, 2009 4:04 PM

Dani :

Dani - So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know:).

posted on March 1, 2009 4:33 PM

L :

OMG! This was my first time eating and preparing kale and it's good. Really enjoyed this recipe. Adding cherries and feta are fantastic. Definitely a keeper. Thanks Dani!!

posted on October 5, 2009 9:40 AM

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)