White Bean, Kale + Sausage Pasta

Depending on where you live, I am going to assume most of you are pretty chilly these days.  Seattle is actually having a delightful winter.  I have seen the sun several times, it has snowed once and has not rained half as much as last year.  It is honestly gorgeous around here, but still so cold, too cold for this LA girl.  January is the one month that feels like an oxymoron.  You are supposed to be resolutely eating healthier + at the same time all you want is mac and cheese, hot chocolate and warm berry crumble.  I feel that.  Yesterday I brought a salad to work and just stared at it every time I went over to the fridge.  I think it is still in there... Anyway, today I made a pasta dish that is not only really warm, comforting + delicious, it also happens to be made with quinoa pasta and for those of you gluten + dairy intolerant folks, you can eat it too.

White Bean, Kale + Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Package of Gluten Free Pasta (I love the brown rice + quinoa package from Trader Joe's, but you can also use regular pasta or your favorite gf one.  I have to say though, it is honestly better with gf pasta!  It is a bit softer and adds to the creaminess)

1 Red Onion Minced

I Package Isernios Hot Pork Sausage (Casings taken off)

Big Handful of Kale

1 Can Cannellini Beans (Drained, but not rinsed unless you can't stand that liquid)

Extra Pasta Water (set aside before draining) ---Maybe 1/4 Cup?

Salt + Pep to taste

How to:

So first, I start a big pot of water to boil and really salt that bad boy, you are going to use some of the liquid, so make it flavorful!  Then sauté the chopped red onion in butter or olive oil and add salt and pepper.  Let the onions really hang out, probably having your stove on medium and I let them hang out for around 10 minutes or until I like the way they look.  Then add your sausage after the casings have been taken off and break it all up in your pan.  When all of the sausage has browned, add the kale and sauté until the greens have wilted, shouldn't take more than a minute or two.  Then add the cannellini beans until everything is warmed.  If the pasta is not ready yet, turn the sausage heat low until you are ready to add the pasta.  Once the pasta looks good, grab a couple of spoonfuls to save and go ahead and drain the pasta.  Add the pasta to the sausage pan, add as much starch water as you want to make it creamier and add salt and pepper as needed.  Its really good!  I just ate some.  Hope you like it!

enjoy!

Love, Kait

This recipe was adapted from Heather Cristo.  All thoughts remain my own.