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Sausage Pasta with Collard Greens and Mushrooms
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There’s nothing like a big bowl of pasta, especially when the weather turns chilly. This sausage pasta with collard greens and mushrooms is one of my favorite fall and winter pasta recipes, filled with orecchiette, Italian sausage, earthy mushrooms, tender greens, and plenty of Parmesan.
It’s a hearty yet easy weeknight pasta recipe that feels cozy and satisfying without being heavy. I love how flexible it is too – you can easily swap in other greens, sausage or pasta shapes based on what you have on hand. Once the temperature drops, this comforting pasta quickly becomes part of my regular dinner rotation. Craving more dishes like this? My mushroom alfredo pasta recipe is right up your alley!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Comes together in about 30 minutes — ideal for a satisfying weeknight meal.
- Customizable: Use kale, spinach, or even Swiss chard instead of collard greens; swap orecchiette for your favorite short pasta.
- Crowd-pleasing: Comforting and familiar, but with just enough of a twist to feel special.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Collard greens – The ribbon-cut greens add a brightness as well as a healthy aspect to the dish. Collard greens are best when they are in season during winter; they work well with the earthiness of the mushrooms. I like to cook the collards in the pot of water I boil for the pasta because it is an efficient way to wilt them evenly. Cooking the pasta in the remaining water adds a little bit of the flavor from the greens to the orecchiette.
- Parmesan – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese.
- Sausage – I use hot Italian sausage with the casings removed in this recipe though you can swap it with sweet Italian sausage to tone down the heat level. I use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as it cooks in the pan.
- Mushrooms – Cremini mushrooms have a meatier, earthier mushroom flavor compared to white mushrooms. I recommend buying whole mushrooms and slicing them yourself so they are more evenly cut than pre-cut mushrooms. Use a damp paper towel to wipe away dirt before slicing the mushrooms.
- Pasta – I use orecchiette in this recipe which translates to “little ears” for the shape they resemble. This type of pasta is associated with Apulia, the southern Italian region. I love how it pairs with the ingredients in this dish. If you can’t find orecchiette substitute with another pasta shape of your choice like shells or Conchiglie.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Swaps and substitutions
This recipe is flexible, meaning you can easily substitute other ingredients in this dish.
- Greens: Substitute the collard greens for curly kale, Tuscan kale, Swiss chard, spinach or broccoli rabe. Just be sure to remove the thick stems from the greens before cooking it.
- Mushrooms: I particularly like using cremini (baby bella) mushrooms but you can also use a combination of shiitake and crimini or other favorite wild mushrooms. Shiitakes add earthy, buttery flavor.
- Onion: Yellow onion can be swapped for the shallot.
- Sausage: Substitute sweet Italian sausage for hot Italian sausage to tone down the heat of the pasta. You can also omit the red pepper flakes for a more mild take. To make this dish vegetarian, simply omit the sausage.
- Pasta: Substitute your favorite pasta shape if you can’t find orecchiette. Shells, conchiglie or penne pasta all work great.
Pro tip
If I have a little white wine, chicken broth or pasta cooking water I like to use 1 cup to deglaze the pan I used to cook the sausage and mushrooms in for added flavor.
Why you should save pasta water
I always recommend reserving some of the pasta cooking water before draining. The salty, starchy water that the pasta is cooked in adds flavor and helps to bind the sauce to the pasta, making a rich sauce as the Parmesan melts into it with the other ingredients.
How to Make Sausage Pasta with Collard Greens & Mushrooms
Thoroughly wash the collards, remove the thick stems then cut into a chiffonade. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium heat.
Add the collards, and cook until wilted but still bright green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry then set aside. Reserve the water used to blanch the collards (it will be light green).
Return the large pot of water used to cook the greens to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the water. Return the pasta to the pot.
Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat then add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the sausage, until browned, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage from the pan, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Return the pan to heat. Add the remaining oil and heat through.
Add mushrooms to the pan and sauté, until the mushrooms are lightly browned and reduce in size, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and continue to cook until the shallots are no longer opaque, about an additional 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the sausage, greens and mushroom mixture to the pot of cooked pasta, stirring to combine. Add a little of the pasta water if needed. Stir in the Parmesan cheese then add the crushed red pepper and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls topped with additional Parmesan.
How to reheat sausage pasta
Store leftover pasta refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat my pasta leftovers I like to add it to a microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave in 30 second increments until hot, stirring in between. You can also reheat pasta on the stovetop. Add a bit of water and cover then reheat over low heat.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Orecchiette is great because it holds the sausage and mushrooms well, but you can use shells, conchiglie or penne pasta instead.
Substitute the collard greens for curly kale, Tuscan kale, Swiss chard, spinach or broccoli rabe. Just be sure to remove the thick stems from the greens before cooking it.
You can cook the sausage, collards and mushrooms in advance, but it’s best to boil the pasta fresh and assemble just before serving so it doesn’t get mushy.
Italian sausage works best – choose sweet or hot depending on your preference. Chicken or turkey sausage also works for a lighter option.
I always recommend reserving some of the pasta cooking water before draining. The salty, starchy water that the pasta is cooked in adds flavor and helps to bind the sauce to the pasta, making a rich sauce as the Parmesan melts into it with the other ingredients.
Yes! Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy my favorite sausage pasta recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
- Braised Oxtail Ragu with Gremolata
- Mushroom Spaghetti
- Tomato Corn Pasta with Bacon Cream Sauce
- Spring Lamb Pasta with Spring Greens
Made this dish? Be sure to rate the recipe and drop a comment below! Your feedback means everything (and helps others find it too)!
Sausage Pasta with Collard Greens & Mushrooms
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Ingredients:
- 1 small bunch collard greens, about 9 ounces
- ½ pound orecchiette pasta
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ pound hot pork Italian sausage, casings removed
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bella) sliced
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper as needed
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
- Thoroughly wash the collards, remove the thick stems then cut into a chiffonade. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium heat.
- Add the collards, and cook until wilted but still bright green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry then set aside. Reserve the water used to blanch the collards (it will be light green).
- Return the large pot of water used to cook the greens to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the water. Return the pasta to the pot.
- Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat then add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the sausage, until browned, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the pan, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible and set the sausage aside, returning the pan to heat. Add the remaining oil and heat through.
- Add mushrooms to the pan and sauté, until the mushrooms are lightly browned and reduce in size, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and continue to cook until the shallots are no longer opaque, about an additional 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the sausage, greens and mushroom mixture to the pot of cooked pasta, stirring to combine. Add a little of the pasta water if needed. Stir in the Parmesan cheese then add the crushed red pepper and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve in warmed pasta bowls topped with additional Parmesan.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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Hey Kylie, I recently discovered CWCR and am inspired. I doubled this Orecchiette recipe on a Wednesday night and my family loved the change up from our usual pasta dishes. I used baby spinach instead of collard greens since the spinach was on hand. Best of all, I had enough to take to work the next day. Thank you!
Theresa,
Thank you so much for the kind words! I am so glad you liked this recipe – I always love having leftovers for lunch the next day too!
After blanching, when are the greens added back in?
Add them to the pan after you finish cooking the mushrooms! So sorry about that confusion – I will make that edit now to clarify!
We made this last night for dinner. After eating everything and anything over the holidays it was nice to get some greens. This was so delicious. Such great flavor. Will absolutely make this again and again!
Absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I used some white wine like you suggested. I am very pleased with this recipe!
So happy to hear it Jane! Thanks for sharing! This is one I keep in my dinner rotation!!
Always looking for a new way to do pasta, and this recipe provided just that. It will definitely be a regular on our fall/winter dinner list.