Pasta with Mustard Greens and Crispy Sausage
Thanks to Nature’s Greens, we’re going to transform some gorgeous, peppery Mustard Greens into a knockout pasta dish. Salty, crispy sausage, tender pasta, and a luscious, greens-filled sauce combine into a restaurant worthy dish that is easy to whip up, right at home.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 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 neededÂ
- Serving suggestion: shaved parmesan cheese, chopped smoked almonds
Instructions
- 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.Â
- 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. Add the can of broth and cook, stirring occasionally (I partially cover the pot), for about 10 – 15 minutes.Â
- Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. 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.Â
- 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!