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and Kale…. Confession time: I am not so crazy about this superfood. I know…what planet am I living on? Everyone that I know loves Kale. I was hoping some days ago, when the whole Internet was invaded with rumors that kale is bad for us that it’s not gonna be just a rumor and maybe was at least some truth in those articles. Not this time! Still have to eat these greens 🙂
Doing a little bit more reading, following the rumors, I have discovered some really mind blowing facts about kale: a cup of chopped kale has 134% of recommended daily intake of vitamin C, 14% of daily required calcium, 133% of daily vitamin A requirement and more than 600% daily vitamin K!…just to name a few. Now, I may not be such a big fan of this superfood but for sure I will EAT IT and stop whinging about it.
One of facts I found really interesting is that it packs in more nutrition than any other whole food. Had no idea, cooked kale offers more iron per ounce than beef!!! Apparently, some of its nutrients are a little bit difficult to be absorbed, so if is is paired with some fat , we’ll get the most out of it!
For the time being, my favorite recipe with kale is an easy Italian sausage Penne Pasta dish. I love to combine the hearty Italian sausages with penne and some fresh organic kale in this quick and easy homemade recipe. It packs so much flavor, takes just 15 minutes to make and should be devoured as soon as it comes together 🙂
- 1 lb/ 500 g Italian sausages casings removed
- 1/2 bunch fresh organic kale trimmed and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 300 g penne
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook as per pack instructions, for almost 8 minutes, stirring often so the pasta will not stick together. Drain, run a cold water rinse over the colander and set aside.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage meat and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon until golden brown. Add chopped fresh kale and cook for about 4 minutes until kale is wilted. Add dry white wine and tomato passata, bring to a simmer and cook for another 3 minutes until the liquid is reduced to desired consistency.
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Add pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat it. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately
 
I am with you, Oana! I am not crazy about kale. I found them a bit tough. It is hard to imagine eating them raw. But I love the idea of cooking them with a meaty pasta. Perfect way to sneak in the healthy food. 🙂
Comfort food in a bowl right there! Love this type of dish!
My girls love spinach but I’ve never got around to trying kale with them. This sounds like the perfect recipe. Sausage, pasta, divine sauce. I’m expecting empty plates and requests for seconds.
I wish this was my dinner tonight!
I am always trying to slide kale into dishes too because while I love the nutrition, I can’t say it is my favorite green to eat all by itself. This looks great!
This is such a scrumptious way to get kale down the hatch. 🙂
I bet I could even get Hubby to eat some kale with a recipe like this! We love pasta dishes with Italian sausage.
It was only a matter of time before someone decided to convince us kale is a waste of time. I didn’t realise it was so nutrient dense – which is good because I actually like it. What a super easy supper you’ve come up.
With you on that!! I am not big on Kale either..and Love how you sneaked in the bad “good’ guy with the fave cheesy pasta! YUMM.. Do join us at SaucySaturdays .. I host it every Sat through Wed. and we would love for you to join us 🙂
Haha 🙂 My daughter was not very happy seeing the green stuff messing her pasta. But it really tastes delicious. No one complained! Thanks for your invitation! I will definitely join you guys 🙂
This recipe looks great. While we don’t get Kale as easily here, I’m thinking spinach would make a good substitute.
I love this recipe! And I think my family would too! Thanks for posting 🙂
This is my absolute favorite kind of pasta dish – so simple, so full of flavor!