Yeah, okay, so what you see right here is the reason that I occasionally succumb to the call of the carbs; the snare of the semolina; the pernicious pull of the PASTA…
I love the stuff.
But then who doesn’t?
Pasta is just so stinkin’ easy, and when you’re busy (who isn’t) and hungry (who isn’t) and quite possibly lazy (wait, maybe that’s just me over here) there is nothing that pasta can’t do for you. Throw it into a big pot of boiling water and ten minutes later (give or take) you are DONE. Douse it in something yummy (oh man, this ragu sauce will put you on a stretcher it’s so amazing…if you want to take all day to make it 😬) and you are good to go.
Nothing particularly newsworthy there.
So then what’s this?
Super Speedy Kale and Sausage Pesto Pasta, people, that’s what!
FOUR ingredients! Under thirty minutes! So good you will not believe how easy!
Can you tell I’m more than a little excited about this?
And look Ma….Kale! An entire bunch of beautiful kale goes into this. Not just to make you feel better about all of that pasta you are about to consume (although yes, it does help with that…) this cruciferous delicious-ness boils up in the same pot, adding an amazing texture (almost chewy, in the best way) and heft to the whole scrumptious she-bang. Not to be missed!
But enough chit-chat. I’m in a hurry here, and heading for hangry soon if I don’t get something on my plate.
You want some of this?
Trust me, you do. 😍 
Annoying meal prep alert: be sure to wash your kale really well! It is NOT my favorite kitchen chore to be sure but gritty greens are not sah great either. Take the extra few minutes to make sure they are clean. I like to de-stem and tear up the leaves first, and then toss everybody into a big bowl of water I place in my sink. Give it a swish. The kale will (sorta) float and any sand or dirt will drop to the bottom. Bonus good news……in this particular recipe the kale goes into water to cook so you don’t have to worry about drying it off. Yay! See? Even the persnickety parts of this are totally do-able.
Now we’re off to the races. Get a big pot of water set to boil and while that’s happening go ahead and fry up two sweet Italian sausages (out of the casings, thank youuuu) in a nice big pan. Add a little olive oil to this as you go (to keep it from sticking and just because we like it lubey) and break it up as best you can. You don’t need a whole lot of sausage for a whole lot of flavor but you do want to be sure there’s a little in every bite so be sure to “unclump” it as cooks. Just keep stabbing at it, until it’s nice and crispy.
Once your water is at a rolling boil, toss in a very healthy teaspoon of salt and your pasta. I chose bucatini for this and I think you should too and I’ll tell you why (of course I will).
Bucatini is a thick sort of spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center (like, totally tubular …. sry, I had to). That hole, even as small as it is, is just the best delivery system for ANY saucy creations you might have in mind. Filled AND coated…how good does that sound?
Absolutely delicioso. But I digress…….
Anyhoo, let your pasta rumble away on its own for 7 minutes, and then add that heaping pile of clean kale you got going there………
Yep, boom, right into the boiling pasta. Just push it on in there.
It will start to soften up for you as it bubbles away. Let this do it’s thing for another 3 minutes or so, then yank out a bucatini strand and (carefully) give it the good ‘ol bite down into it test to make sure it’s al denté. You got this? Perfect!
Strain off the water and plop the lot of it into that big pan of cooked sausage you have sitting on the sidelines. Give it all a great big stir (you’ll need your tongs for this job, TO BE SURE). Now take the help that store-bought can bestow and grab some pre-made pesto:
FYI this is the one I am ABSOLUTELY LOVING….you can find it in the refrigerated section at Costco. Way to bring it Costco Kirkland brand! Who woulda thunk it?
Pour in some of the pesto (as much or little as you like it), as you turn and flip the pasta along with the kale, bringing up the sausage from the bottom…….Yum! And done. The bits of crispy fatty sausage action along with the earthy, chewy kale and pasta, coated with that garlicky, cheesy, creamy, salty, herb-a-fied pesto sauce….aw man, is ALL YOU NEED.
Truly a one bowl wonder. 
Happy slurpin’.
RECIPE BELOW: So quick and easy thanks to store-bought pesto sauce, obviously if you want you can make your own (delish no doubt but sort of dampers the download speed), although why would you do that when there’s Costco? 🙌 Makes enough for 4 servings. Super easy to extend…..just add more pasta and sauce…..OR add more sausage if you want, or less kale, or more kale….proportions are just my (stubborn) suggestion. Leftovers are so good that you’ll wish you had more for the day after that…
- 1 bunch kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn into pieces
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 1/2 box (8 oz) bucatini pasta**
- Approximately 10 ounces (a little over a cup) prepared basil pesto sauce*
- Olive oil
- 1 generous teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Bring 4-6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Once that comes to a bubble throw in the salt and add the bucatini, stir. Let this boil for 7 minutes, and then add the torn kale to the pot, stirring it down into the water as it softens. Let this boil for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the pasta is al denté. Drain well.
- In a large frying pan over a medium high heat, cook the Italian sausage, pressing it down to create more contact with the pan and breaking it up as it cooks. Add a generous drizzle of oil to the pan to keep it from sticking as you go, until it is nicely browned and crumbly.
- Add the drained kale/pasta to the fried sausage and stir. Then pour in some of the prepared pesto sauce, stirring up from the bottom of the pan to get all of the sausage dispersed. Add as much of the pesto as you like - stir it up (tongs work best for this maneuver) until everything is tossed together and warmed through.
- Serve it up!
- *I used about half of the 22 ounce jar of Costco prepared pesto. You may want more, you may want less. I socked the remainder of it in the freezer where it will be ready for me the next time the hankering hits!
- ** Need to feed more folks? Use the whole box of pasta, for the love of your mother! Pour in that whole jar of pesto sauce......add an extra sausage to the mix! This is pretty easy to extend, can feed a crowd and I don't know anyone who doesn't LOVE it.
- Yes, even with the kale. 😛
