Sausage Pasta with Collard Greens & Mushrooms

This hearty sausage pasta with collard greens and mushrooms is the ultimate cozy weeknight dinner — simple to make, full of flavor, and perfect for fall.

Course pasta

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 552kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

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

US Customary - Metric

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

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.

Nutrition