Kale and Blistered Tomato Pasta, Sausage Style

I’ve been loving my deep skillet lately.

It has been my wing-man many evenings when I wanted to make a deliciously straightforward meal. There’s been sautéing, searing and so much wilting going on it’s not even funny. I especially love that most of these dinners can be called a “one skillet meal”. Personally, when I see “One Skillet” or “One Pot” in a recipe title, I’m completely sold on it. This method almost falls under that category, except you’ll need a pot to boil the fettuccine noodles… other than that, this is so a one skillet dinner.

Well, sort of.

To cook this Blistered Tomato Fettuccine Set out:

• olive oil – Lends fat for sautéing and rich flavor.
• italian sausage (links) – Use hot or mild plant based, pork or chicken sausage.
• cherry tomatoes – Or substitute with grape tomatoes.
• baby kale – Or use baby spinach.
• garlic – Lends distinct punchy flavor.
• red pepper flakes – Gives the dish some spicy heat. (optional)
• dried pasta – I like to use either fettuccine, bucatini or penne.
• fine sea salt – For seasoning the pasta water.
• crushed fire-roasted tomatoes – Adds notable flavor and texture to this dish.
• kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in this dish.
• freshly ground black pepper – This will add some subtle bite and flavor.
• parmesan cheese (freshly grated)- Or use pecorino Romano.

Brown The Sausage:

Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a deep-sided skillet. Remove the casing 1 package (20 ounces) of Italian sausage and coarsely chop. This gives the sausage a mini meatball appearance, in my opinion. Add the chopped italian sausage to the skillet.

Note: If using sausage that is pre-cooked, you can simply slice or dice it and brown it in the skillet.

Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring often, until fully cooked and golden brown in spots.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the browned sausage to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Bring a Pot of Water To Boil:

While the sausage is browning, fill a pot with water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

Build the Sauce:

Remove all but 1 to 2 tablespoon of the sausage fat from the pan and add in 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes. Let those cook for 5 minutes to blister before flipping and cooking for another minute or two.

Meanwhile by now your big pot of water should be boiling. To it, add in a palmful of sea salt (about 1/2 tablespoon) with 8 ounces of dried pasta (fettuccine, penne or bucatini even). Cook as the package suggests, for mine it was about 8-10 minutes.

Once the tomatoes have softened, reduce the heat to medium and add in 4 handfuls of baby kale (or baby spinach), 4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes (if using). Stir and cook until simply about wilted.

Pour in 15 ounces of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, add the browned Italian sausage back in and cook for 10 or so minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Once the pasta is cooked, first remove 1 cup of pasta water and then use tongs (a slotted spoon or spider) to remove the pasta from the pot and directly into the sauce.

Stir and toss until combined. Here’s where you can feel free to add a few splashes of the pasta water to thin the sauce a little.

Serve The Pasta:

Lastly, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

You could also top with thin ribbons of fresh basil if you would like.

This bowl of Italian Sausage, Kale and Blistered Tomato Fettuccine is a simple and rustic pasta dish.

It’s filled with so much flavor you won’t know what hit you. The sausage gives it its rustic flavor while the blistered tomatoes add a much needed pop of sweetness. And the cheese… well cheese simply makes everything better. Serve alongside from-scratch garlic bread and maybe a glass of red.

Enjoy! And if you give this Sausage Blistered Tomato and Kale Pasta recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!