Penne with Kale, Sausage, and Lemon Cream Sauce

Yahoo Food
Updated

In this comforting winter pasta dish, dark, earthy kale is offset by bright lemon cream, savory pork sausage, and a warm, aromatic heat from crushed red chiles and garlic.



SERVES 6-8 

INGREDIENTS 
¼ cup olive oil 
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1 small onion, finely chopped 
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes 
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed 
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped 
2½ cups half and half 
⅓ cup grated Parmesan 
Juice and zest of 1 lemon 
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
1 pound dried penne pasta 
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley, for garnish 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat oil in a 6-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and red chile flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add sausage, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces until browned, 16 to 18 minutes. Add kale, season with salt and pepper, and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add half and half and bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally until reduced by a third, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, juice and zest, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper; set aside and keep warm.

  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup cooking water; add both pasta and water to reserved sauce and cook about 5 minutes more. Serve garnished with parsley.