Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients


  • 1/2 pound small shell pasta
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage
  • 3 cups thinly sliced kale
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

    Directions

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta.

    Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing, into the pan. As the sausage cooks, break it into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.

    To the same skillet, add the pepper, kale and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved sausage and garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. When pasta is al dente, use a slotted spoon, or spider, to scoop it out of the water and directly into the skillet, reserving the pasta-cooking water in the pot. (Alternatively, drain the pasta, reserving at least 2 cups of the cooking water, and transfer the pasta to the skillet.) Add 1 cup pasta-cooking water to the pasta and simmer over low heat, stirring to combine. Serve with grated Parmesan, if desired.
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