Turkey Sausage & Kale Black Pepper Fettuccine
I have been CRAVING pasta in this third-trimester, but I've been as good as I can to avoid eating it ALL the time. I've also been suffering from things like heartburn (adios tomato sauce) and a generally sensitive stomach (adios dairy/cream sauces) so I have been left pondering what kind of pasta I could whip up to satisfy my craving but keep me feeling pretty good.
I finally settled on this, a turkey sausage and kale pasta - yum right? I bought some turkey & chicken sausages a couple weeks ago that for multiple reasons never got cooked for the week so I popped them in the freezer knowing they would come in handy down the line. Same thing with some black pepper fresh fettuccini from whole foods. So out of the freezer those two things came, and into the pan with a big ol' bunch of Imperfect Produce Kale. The result? A satisfied pasta craving, a good use of leftovers/freezer items, and a pretty healthful well-rounded meal if you ask me!
What I Used:
- 2 Italian turkey sausages, removed from the casing about 1/2 lb
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 serving of fresh black pepper fettucini (you could use any pasta)
How To:
- In a large saute pan, brown your turkey or chicken sausage. For this recipe, I removed the sausage from the casing if you wanted you could roast it in the oven and then cut it into little slices or half moons. Either way, brown the meat in a liberal pour of oil.
- Next, add in your kale (or other dark leafy green) and sautee it all together until wilted. If the mixture is really dry, ad a 1/4 cup of chicken stock and let simmer until the pasta is ready from a boiling pot.
- Add the pasta right into the pan allowing some of the excess water into the pan as well, especially if you didn't add any chicken stock as this will help create a bit of a sauce (that starchy pasta water is super useful!). Give it a toss and add more of the water just a few spoonfuls at a time until you've got the desired consistency.
- Gobble it up or add some grated parmesan if you're not dairy free for an even richer dish!
