Healthy, comforting, and utterly delicious! Say hello to my Shell Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale. It’s a traditional comfort food made healthy with a homemade Italian Chicken sausage flavored with garlic and fennel. Hearty shell pasta perfectly cups the creamy parmesan cheesy sauce for every bite. Finally, Kale… In this recipe, the kale is cooked in the flavorful sauce so it wilts down and melds into the backdrop so perfectly. Kale brings texture and healthy veg-balance. Parmesan on top is the salty and nutty finish!
Homemade Italian Sausage – with Ground Chicken!
Have you ever made your own Italian Sausage? It’s incredibly easy and right at your fingertips as long as you have a few simple ingredients. My version for this recipe uses ground chicken, which is a leaner meat than pork or beef. It works really great for Italian Sausage because it sticks together nicely.
To make this yourself, all you need is fresh minced garlic, Italian parsley, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper! You can make a couple pounds of this ahead, then portion it out and freeze it for later.
Here a few recipes to use it in!
- Italian Sausage Lasagna
- One Pan Italian Sausage, Eggs, & Veggies
- Italian Sausage Cauliflower Cream Noodles
- Chicago Style Sausage Pizza
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Nothing special for this one! Just a large pot to cook the pasta in and a large skillet/frying pan for cooking the sausage, then the sauce. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!
Oh, and mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
PREP-AHEAD FOR YOUR PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
For this recipe, you really want to eat it right after you mix it all together when the sauce is still creamy. But, you can get everything ready to go ahead so all you do is cook it and in 30 minutes, you have dinner!
Dice the onion and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook. Clean the kale and dry it in a clean towel. Then rough chop it into bite-size pieces. Store the kale in the fridge with a cool damp towel on top until ready to cook.
You can also mix the Italian Sausage ahead of time as well. Mince the garlic, chop the parsley, and measure out the fennel seed, salt, and pepper. Mix all of these ingredients with the ground turkey or chicken. Store in a container in the fridge until ready to cook.
Note: If you prefer to buy premade Italian Sausage, look for the bulk. If all you can find is Italian Sausage Links in casings, make sure it is raw. Then cut the casing and squeeze the meat mixture out into the pan.
COOK YOUR PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND KALE
To start, boil your pasta according to package instructions. Before draining the pasta, be sure to save a cup of the cooking pasta water to use in the sauce.
To a preheated large pan/skillet, add a tsp of Olive Oil and then add the Italian Sausage, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon into small bite-size pieces. Let it sit and sear for about 4-5 minutes. Then stir so that the other sides sear. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until no pieces are pink and look fully cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Add another tsp of Olive Oil if needed, then add the onions and garlic. Stir so they do not burn. Cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the kale, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
While the kale begins to cook, make the slurry by adding the 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the milk and stirring until dissolved.
Add the chicken broth and the milk slurry to the pan. As the sauce heats up, it will start to thicken, so be sure to stir every couple minutes as this happens to prevent clumping. Once the liquid has thickened a little, about 4-5 minutes (note, it will not be very thick, just a little bit thicker than it was), add the sausage back to the pan.
Test the Kale, if it needs to cook more, cover and let cook for another few minutes. If the Kale is cooked to your liking, add the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan Cheese. Mix to combine. If needed, you can add more of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Serve the pasta garnishing with more Parmesan Cheese.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Shell Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale
Healthy, comforting, utterly delicious - that's today's Shell Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale. The sauce is loaded with a salty homemade Chicken Italian Sausage flavored with garlic and fennel. Kale is cooked in the flavorful sauce so it wilts down and melds into the backdrop so perfectly. Hearty shell pasta perfectly holds the creamy parmesan cheesy sauce in each shell cup. Parmesan on top is the salty and nutty finish! #healthypasta #healthyitalian #familydinner #dinnerideas
Ingredients
Italian Sausage
- 16 oz Ground White Meat Chicken - raised w/o antibiotics (or ground turkey)
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 3 tbsp Parsley Chopped
- 1 tsp Fennel Seed
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
All Other
- 10 oz Uncooked Pasta, Shells or Orecchiette
- 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, small
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 cups Kale, chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
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Mince the garlic, chop the parsley, and measure out the fennel seed, salt, and pepper. Then add all to the ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Cover the bowl and store in the fridge until ready to cook.
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Dice the onion and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to cook.
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Clean the kale and dry it in a clean towel. Then rough chop it into bite-size pieces. Store the kale in the fridge with a cool damp towel on top until ready to cook.
Cooking Steps
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Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Once the pasta water is boiling, add a splash of Olive Oil and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and stir so that it doesn't stick it itself. Boil the pasta until al dente. Remove 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta. Leave the pasta in the strainer until the sauce is ready.
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To a preheated large pan/skillet, add a tsp of Olive Oil and then add the Italian Sausage, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon into small bite-size pieces. Let it sit and sear for about 4-5 minutes. Then stir so that the other sides sear. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until no pieces are pink and look fully cooked through. Remove to a plate.
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Add another tsp of Olive Oil if needed, then add the onions and garlic. Stir so they do not burn. Cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the kale, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
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While the kale begins to cook, make the slurry by adding the 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the milk and stirring until dissolved.
-
Add the chicken broth and the milk slurry to the pan. As the sauce heats up, it will start to thicken, so be sure to stir every couple minutes as this happens to prevent clumping. Once the liquid has thickened a little, about 4-5 minutes (note, it will not be very thick, just a little bit thicker than it was), add the sausage back to the pan.
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Test the Kale, if it needs to cook more, cover and let cook for another few minutes. If the Kale is cooked to your liking, add the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan Cheese. Mix to combine. If needed, you can add more of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.
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Serve the pasta garnishing with more Parmesan Cheese.
Recipe Notes
- You could replace the homemade Italian Sausage with 1 lb (16oz) store-bought bulk Italian Sausage
- For the pasta, I used medium shells, but you could use any pasta you like. The small-cut pasta with a cup shape to capture the parmesan and sausage is traditional, but any will taste great!
- For the parmesan, you can use grated or shredded. The grated is best as it can really mix into the dish to create a sauce.
Once fully cooked, add in the crushed, diced tomatoes – I like both for sauce and texture. Also add the garlic, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, honey, salt, and pepper. 
