Pasta with Sausage and Kale
Use Palmini Pasta or Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta to make a low-carb version of this favorite recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Kale! And this post has instructions to make it with regular pasta too if you’re not worried about carbs, so use whichever you prefer for this tasty pasta dish.
PIN the Pasta with Sausage and Kale to make it later!
Years ago I came up with a recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Kale that was so good I declared it to be one of the best things I’d ever made with kale. But even though it had a lot of sausage and kale and not much pasta, it wasn’t going to work for a low-carb diet.
Then a reader named Danielle wrote to me about a new product called Palmini Pasta! I decided to test out the low-carb pasta on a recipe I knew I liked, and when we tested this recipe with Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguini, Kara and I absolutely loved it! And then I discovered Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta (affiliate link) which tastes just like regular pasta but is much lower in carbs due to large amounts of fiber, and we loved this recipe with Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini too, for a version that’s a big higher in carbs but still much lower than regular wheat pasta.
The Palmini Pasta made with hearts of palm, so it’s gluten-free. If you don’t need the recipe to be gluten-free you can enjoy the version with Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- hot turkey or pork Italian sausage
- kale (see notes)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- red pepper flakes
- canned chicken broth (affiliate link), preferably reduced sodium
- ground fennel (affiliate link)
- Palmini Low-Carb Linguini (affiliate link) or use Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini (affiliate link) or regular Rotini Pasta
- coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
What is Palmini Pasta?
Palmini Pasta (affiliate link) is a relatively new type of low-carb pasta made from hearts of palm. The pasta options are Linguini, Angel Hair (which is actually more like thin spaghetti), and Lasagna. Kara and I have been having fun experimenting with the Palmini pasta products for “pasta” with very low carbs. (And for anyone who might be wondering, this company hasn’t sent me any merchandise or paid me to feature their products.)
What is Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta?
Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta (affiliate link) is a wheat pasta made in Italy that has lots of fiber compared to regular pasta which makes it lower in net carbs. If you use Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini (affiliate link) for this recipe, the dish will have a bit more carbs than the version with Palmini Pasta, but still only about 18.3 net carbs per serving. See NOTES in the recipe for full nutritional information with the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta. (And this company also has not sent me any pasta!)
How this recipe makes Palmini Pasta or Fiber Gourmet Pasta more affordable:
One thing people may have an issue with about the Palmini Pasta or the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta is the price; definitely both are a lot more expensive than regular pasta. But recipes like this one have a lot of other ingredients in the dish to spread out the pasta. This Pasta with Sausage and Kale makes six servings from one can of Palmini Linguini or one package of Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini which makes it a lot more affordable.
How to make Pasta with Sausage and Kale:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- (IF MAKING WITH PALMINI PASTA) Drain the Palmini Pasta into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water.
- (IF MAKING WITH REGULAR PASTA or FIBER GOURMET LIGHT SPAGHETTI OR ROTINI) Cook pasta until barely al-dente, following package directions. Save 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
- Heat 1 T olive oil in a large heavy frying pan, squeeze sausage out of casings, and cook until sausage is nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks. Remove sausage to a bowl.<
- While the sausage is cooking, wash kale leaves and shake dry. Cut out the inner ribs, then pile up a stack of leaves and then chop them, continuing until you have chopped all the kale. (Sorry, missed taking photos of the chopped kale.)
- In same large frying pan, put the 3 T olive oil, garlic, and hot pepper flakes and cook until you can barely start to smell garlic.
- Then add chopped kale and cook 2-3 minutes, turning over several times, until kale is all wilted.
- Add chicken broth, ground fennel, cooked sausage, and drained Palmini pasta to the kale and turn heat to low. Let this simmer about 8 minutes, or until the Palmini Pasta seems tender when you test a piece.
- (If you’re using regular pasta, let the other ingredients cook a few minutes before you add the pasta. Then gently mix the cooked pasta into the sausage/kale mixture, and cook 4-5 minutes. Add as much pasta cooking water as you think you need for it to be moist.)
- Add the Parmesan cheese and serve pasta hot, with extra Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
- This will keep well in the fridge for a few days, no matter which type of pasta you use.
More Ways to Love Sausage and Kale:
- Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup
- Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole
- Sausage, Kale, and Mozzarella Egg Bake
Pasta with Sausage and Kale
I used Palmini Pasta to make a low-carb version of this favorite recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Kale or use Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini for a version that's also quite low in net carbs! The recipe still has instructions for the original version with Rotini Pasta too, so choose whichever one you prefer. (Nutritional information is for Palmini Pasta, see NOTES for the nutritional information using Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini.)
Ingredients
- 19.5 oz package hot turkey Italian sausage (see notes)
- 1 bunch kale (see notes)
- 1 T minced garlic
- 3 T + 1 T olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- one 14.5 oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth (see notes)
- 1 tsp. ground fennel
- one 14 oz. can Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguini (or use Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta or regular Rotini, see notes)
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- (IF MAKING WITH PALMINI PASTA) Drain the Palmini Pasta into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water.
- (IF MAKING WITH REGULAR PASTA or FIBER GOURMET LIGHT PASTA) Fill a medium-large pot half full with water, add a generous amount of salt, and bring the water to a boil. Add pasta, stir, lower heat, and cook until barely al-dente, following package directions for cooking times. Save 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
- Heat 1 T olive oil in a large heavy frying pan, squeeze sausage out of casings, and cook until sausage is nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks. Remove sausage to a bowl.
- While the sausage is cooking, wash kale leaves if needed and shake dry (they don’t need to be perfectly dry.) Cut out the inner ribs if they're thick. Then pile up a stack of leaves and then chop them, continuing until you have chopped all the kale.
- In same large frying pan as you cooked the sausage, put the 3 T olive oil, garlic, and hot pepper flakes. Turn heat to medium-low and cook until you can barely start to smell garlic. (Don’t let the garlic brown.)
- Then add the chopped kale. Cook kale and garlic 2-3 minutes, turning over several times, until the kale is all wilted.
- Add chicken broth, ground fennel, cooked sausage, and drained Palmini pasta to the kale and turn heat to low. Let this simmer about 8 minutes, or until the Palmini Pasta seems tender when you test a piece.
- (If you're using Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini or regular pasta, let the other ingredients cook a few minutes before you add the pasta. Then gently mix the cooked pasta into the sausage/kale mixture, adding as much pasta cooking water as you think you need for it to be moist enough.)
- Add the Parmesan cheese and serve pasta hot, with extra Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
- This will keep very well in the fridge overnight, no matter which type of pasta you use.
Notes
You can use turkey or pork Italian Sausage, whichever you prefer.
We used about 8 cups of chopped kale. You can also use baby kale, which won't need to be chopped.
Nutritional information is for the dish made with Palmini Pasta; here is the nutritional information using Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini:
Total Fat: 30 grams, Saturated Fat, 11 grams, Unsaturated Fat: 18 grams, Cholesterol: 60 grams, Sodium: 1079 grams, Total Carbs: 35.2 grams, Fiber: 16.9 grams, Net Carbs: 18.3, Sugars: 2.7, Protein: 26.6.
Recipe originally created by Kalyn with Rotini Pasta. Updated in 2021 to a version with Palmini Low-Carb Linguini and the option to use Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 280Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 4.6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13.5gCholesterol 92mgSodium 941mgCarbohydrates 5.9gFiber 1.8gSugar .6gProtein 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Pasta with Sausage and Kale with Palmini Pasta would be suitable for any low-carb diet plan, including Keto. The Palmini Pasta should be fine for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, but even with turkey Italian Sausage, this recipe is probably a bit high in fat for South Beach. The recipe made with Fiber Gourmet Light Rotini is a good choice for carb-conscious diets, but not for Keto and the Fiber Gourmet Pasta is not gluten-free and would be phase two or three for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pasta Recipes for more ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Sausage Kale Pasta recipe was first posted in 2011 using Rotini Pasta. It was updated in 2021 with a new low-carb version using Palmini Pasta and in 2023 it was updated again with the option to use Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
51 Comments on “Pasta with Sausage and Kale”
This recipe was our introduction to Palmini & we absolutely LOVED this dish!! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Yaay, so glad you enjoyed it! We loved it so much when we tested the recipe.
Good tip Vicki, I have never seen that one. I’m not too close to Trader Joe’s but I get there occasionally1
Kalyn: I LOVE your recipes, and have been using them for years. For this one, I’d like to make it all in advance and then heat when guests arrive. Other bloggers have suggested (for similar recipes) that baking would work. I’m not sure if baking, or nuking, or heating on the stove would be best. Any ideas? Thanks so much, I really appreciate all you do.
Glad you have been enjoying the recipes! Unfortunately I’d have to say this is a recipe that is not that suitable to making ahead and reheating, since both the pasta and the greens should only be cooked to a certain point and they won’t be good if they’re overcooked. But if you are talking about making it just slightly before people arrive, I think you could keep it warm in a slow cooker for maybe up to an hour before it starts to get too soggy. I don’t think microwaving or the oven would give good results, sorry!
Kristin, so glad you enjoyed it. I think Italian sausage and kale are a great combo!
I stumbled upon this recipe post a couple months ago and just wanted to say thanks – this is one of my favorite things to make. Had never tried kale before, this was a great way to start. I was thinking I might get a can of diced tomatoes to add to the mix as well and see how that turns out. Anyway, thanks again ๐
It's my mom's birthday and I will be starting this recipe in a couple of hours. This is the last of my collards from the garden. Will let you know if they like it.
I think this will be great with collards! They will cook a little faster than the kale, I'm guessing.
Allison, so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! It is my family's first time eating kale and I had a daunting task in using up my new CSA veggie. No complaints from the boys (even my husband!) and I can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow! Yummy!!
Thanks for that nice feedback; glad you're enjoying the recipes.
I am LOVING your website. This is the third recipe I have tried from your site this week and it was delicious! I definitely going to be trying many more recipes from your site ๐
So glad you liked it! I loved this too when I came up with the recipe. Now that I have garden kale again, I need to make it.
Melissa, so glad you liked it!
Hi Kalyn. ๐ I made this last night with just a few tweaks (a bit more of almost all the ingredients) and we loooooved it. I cannot wait to eat my leftovers for lunch today. Thanks a bunch for the awesome recipe!
Thanks for the pasta recipe. The dish looks very colorful and delicious.
Sandy, so glad you enjoyed it!
Glor recommended this recipe on her blog and it did not disappoint! Thanks so much for the recipe, it was delicious… we have found a new favorite in kale!
Mike, I'm reading these in reverse order in e-mail! I think goat cheese sounds great in this.
Grace, glad you liked it. I don't think I've seen that type of black kale.
Yum. Looks simple and delish! I might add some goat cheese. Really a perfect combination of ingredients.
Glor, so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!
We just finished eating this … what can I say, another keeper! It was loved by everyone! Thanks for such great recipes.
Jamie, I cut my kale in the garden much smaller than the kale you get in the store so that's why it's smaller, curlier, and lighter. It's also more tender when you cut it young.
Mmmm I love kale but I just don't cook with it often enough. It's delicious and so healthy! But funny your kale looks smaller, paler and curlier than the kale I am used to seeing. Why?
Thanks for the nice feedback Jen. I look forward to hearing how that works. I would love to have some of that in the freezer myself.
Thank you, Kalyn. I'll follow your advice, make a batch to freeze and will let you know how it turns out. (No doubt fab–I've never had a clunker from this site!)
Best, Jen from NYC (anonymous poster from 3:57)
BTW, if you were making the sausage/kale mixture to freeze, I might not cook it down quite so much; then you could do that when you cook the pasta. Love to hear how this turns out if you try it!
I'm not really sure how this will freeze, because there's not a lot of liquid in the sauce. It will definitely keep in the fridge for several days though. I think you could make the sausage/kale mixture and freeze that; then cook the pasta when you want to serve it.
This looks incredible. I'd love to do some batch cooking and make a bunch for work lunches. Do you think it will freeze well?
Thanks for another great recipe!
Cooking Creation, now I am thinking about making it again! Hey, it's kale, right?
Jackie, that's a good idea to make two pans of it. You could use mild sausage and just put a little more red pepper in the adult version. Yes, I have made kale chips and posted a recipe for Roasted Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Vinegar. I do like them a lot!
I don't blame you – I wouldn't be able to stop eating this, either! It sounds fantastic!
Nicole, thanks for that nice feedback! Hope you like this one just as much.
Thanks for the good recipe, I will try it to-night as I have lots of kale in the garden. All your recipes I have tried so far are wonderful, they call for my name as I am a veggie lover just as you are.
Joanne, I think this would convert just about anyone, the kale is so sweet and tender.
Julie, so glad you like it.
Barbara, it's definitely an acquired taste, but this is a good kale recipe to start with!
Can you believe I've never eaten kale. This looks like the perfect recipe to try it.
Another AWESOME use for kale! If I weren't already a kale fan, I'd be sold with this.
Laura, hope you enjoy!
mkskit, I thought it was a perfect combo.
Lydia, I promise this will get you to like kale!
I make a dish very much like this with spinach (and Dreamfields rotini, too), but you're right, this could turn me into a kale lover. I'm going to give it a try if I find kale at the farmers' market this weekend.
I love kale with Italian Sausage, but I've never used them with pasta. This recipe sounds wonderful!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. I can't wait to make this!! Thanks for this recipe and for getting me excited for some kale!
Maris, it's a good thing my brother took most of the leftovers.
Sally, hope you get to try it!
I love kale so much, I have a folder in my computer dedicated to kale recipes. Guess where this recipe will be headed? ๐
Awesome pasta, Kalyn! THanks for posting…
There is little doubt in my mind that I would be able to stop eating this either!
Sorry Dave; I guess we were writing comments at the same time! I loved the kale with the pasta.
Rebecca, I hope you guys like it as much as I did!
Nisrine, loved it! Hope you will too.
oh and beautiful photos
I am always adding spinach to my pasta recipes. Kale makes just as much sense… sounds like a great combination and as always, wonderful details
It is finally here… And better than I imagined!!
I'm definitely making this, Kalyn. Looks fab!!
There is just something about this recipe that is screaming my name. I can imagine that I could put a world of hurt on that bowl. I think it's the combination of sausage and greens and pepper flakes on pasta. If I wasn't halfway through tonight's dinner prep I'd make this tonight. As it is? It's on the docket for tomorrow!