Sausage n' Kale Fettuccine

This is a super simple easy way to make and eat pasta with boosted nutrition from the kale--if you're looking for a recipe to try out kale on.

3 T olive oil

1 lb ground sausage

1/2 lb kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

1/2 lb fettuccine

2/3 c chicken broth

1/2 c Parmesan or Feta Cheese

1 c mushrooms, chopped (opt.)

  

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook sausage, breaking up any lumps with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Remove kale with a large sieve and set aside, but keep the water in the pot--to preserve nutrients fro kale.

Return cooking water in pot to a boil, then cook pasta in boiling water, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

While pasta cooks, add kale to sausage in skillet and sauté, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. (add mushrooms to sautee too, if desired)

Add broth, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water to skillet, tossing until combined.

Stir in cheese and thin with additional cooking water if desired.

**I love eating this with the mushrooms, but some may not like mushrooms. This is a simple dish, but you could add milk with chicken buillon at the end, instead of the chicken broth, if you want more of a creamy feel. Or even cerate a white sauce on the side and then add that in....it'd be great that way too, but it's so simple if you need a quick nutritional pasta dish that's more than just noodles and cream sauce. 

*originally from epicurious.com