Pasta with Mustard Greens and Crispy Sausage

This post was created in partnership with Nature’s Greens. All opinions are my own.

This flavor-packed Pasta with Mustard Greens recipe is anchored by the peppery, bright flavor of some gorgeous Mustard Greens. Paired with the smokiness of bacon, the punch of apple cider vinegar, and the kick of a little crushed red chili flakes – this is one recipe that we honestly cannot stop talking about in my house. Mostly because my family couldn’t believe that they asked for seconds of something with so many GREENS IN IT! Ha. Read on to learn a little more about these incredible greens, and both how to work with and serve them to make the most of their best qualities.

What are Mustard Greens?

Mustard greens have broad, deeply green, frilly leaves that carry long veins throughout the length of their leaves. The leaves are anchored by thick, coarse stems that are tough and very fibrous – not good for eating. Smaller mustard green leaves are much more tender than the large ones and can actually be eaten raw, whereas the larger leaves really do need to be cooked. They’d be too hard on the stomach otherwise! Trust me.

In sum, Mustard Greens have a pleasantly crunchy texture and a very bold, peppery flavor that carries notes of both horseradish and freshly cracked black pepper.

For more information about these and other great greens, I highly recommend you check out the book, The Vegetable Butcher. I own a copy and absolutely love it. I’ve learned so much from Cara. She founded a company called Little Eater, and it’s awesome.

How to work with Mustard Greens

Mustard Greens are really quite easy to work with. They are very hearty, easy to trim, shred, cut, etc. and they stand way up to a whole lot of cooking. You can cook these babies to the edge of death and back and they’ll be like, oh that? THAT WAS NOTHING WE’RE FINE. If fact, mustard greens basically beg to be cooked. You can’t really eat them raw – this isn’t kale. We’re not just going to massage them a little with some vinaigrette and call it good.

No. That’s a different post.

My point? Mustard greens are simple and unfussy and so long as you ensure that yours are very well washed and that the long, coarse stems are pulled away – you’re golden. Some stems are fine – you just want to get as many out as you can. You can cook them whole and huge, or you can give them a good shredding – the leaves that is (see below for a little more detail on that method)- that part’s up to you.

I love a big pot of Southern Style greens, y’all. I really do. It’s an all-time favorite of mine and serves as the ultimate in comfort food in my book. I actually mean that literally, as it’s a recipe that I feature in my cookbook – Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest (“Greens, Eggs, and Ham”). If you’ve never treated yourself to the delight that is a big pot of cooked-to-death Southern-style greens, then you MUST. I’ve got you covered, too. Check out my:

Best Southern-Style Mustard Greens

Slow Cooker Mustard Greens

Best Vegetarain Mustard Greens

How to Shred Fresh Greens

Nature’s Greens come pre-washed and trimmed for you, so you can skip ahead to the shredding part – easy! Some of their greens also come pre-shredded as well, another time saver, which we love. 

To shred Mustard Greens, you do want to make sure you’re working with mostly just the leaves, not the stems. So, once you’ve removed the long, tough stems, simply stack the leaves on top of one another and roll them up into a tube of sorts (like you’re doing a julienne of basil). Now, you can run your knife (preferably a large chef’s knife) across the greens, creating thin, ribbonlike shreds.

Are Mustard Greens Healthy?

As card-carrying members of the Brassica family, Mustard Greens are incredibly good for you, as is the case with any hearty, leafy dark green. So, finding ways to work them into your diet, when and where you can, is a great practice.

Pastas might just be my very favorite way to do that. One cup has over 500 percent of your daily vitamin K intake, necessary for blood and bone health. Mustard Greens also a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate, and contain decent amounts of calcium and manganese. They even have calcium and protein! Woo!

What Can I Substitute for Mustard Greens?

You can really substitute any dark, leafy green that you like or can find in your store. Dark greens like this are typically available easily year-round and, while the flavor profiles vary a bit from of variety to the next, any of the following work well in exchange for one another:

• Collard Greens
• Dandelion Greens
• Turnip Greens
• Kale

The ingredients you’ll need to whip up this Pasta with Mustard Greens are:

¾ lb. bulk Italian sausage (hot or sweet)

1 lb. pre-washed fresh Mustard Greens (such as Nature’s Greens)

2 shallots, diced

1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

15-oz. can chicken broth

3 garlic cloves, minced or grated

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

½ tsp sugar

1 lb. orecchiette pasta, or other small cut that you like

1.5 cups crumbled goat cheese

1 cup grated parmesan

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed 

Serving suggestion: shaved parmesan cheese, chopped smoked almonds

Here’s how to make this amazing Pasta with Mustard Greens Recipe

Begin by cooking the sausage. Heat about 2 tsp of oil in a large, deep-sided skillet set over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage and break it into crumbles. Allow it to brown almost completely on one side before messing with it again (this is my trick for crispy sausage). Transfer to a plate for now and set aside; don’t wipe out the pan. 

With the heat still on medium, add the greens and shallots to the pan, along with the crushed chili flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour in the can of broth and cook, stirring occasionally (I partially cover the pot), for about 10 – 15 minutes. 

Next, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Finally, add the vinegar and sugar; stir. Reduce the heat to med-low and allow the greens-filled sauce to simmer gently, so the stock can reduce by about half. You shouldn’t need to salt the sauce much, as the reduced stock, sausage, and parmesan are quite salty, so just hold off until the end. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in generously salted water. Drain, and reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking liquid.

Once the brothy liquid has reduced by about half, add the pasta (as much as you like), along with the sausage to the pan with greens. Add the goat cheese and parmesan; stir to mix, and add more of either to taste (I love lots of goat cheese, to be honest). You can add some of the reserved starchy water to loosen things up if needed. Serve topped with some shaved parmesan and chopped smoked almonds, if you like. Enjoy!

If you like the looks of this Pasta with Mustard Greens and Crispy Sausage, you might also want to check out:

Cheesy Chicken with Balsamic-Tomato Sauce and Garlic Buttered Pasta

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Halloumi and Pistachio Dust

Blushing Italian Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Ottolenghi Inspired Garlic Butter Tagliatelle with Maple Chipotle Shallots

Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes

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