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Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans is ridiculously good made with lots of garlic, lean Italian chicken sausage, and white cannellini beans.
Pasta with Sausage, Escarole and Beans
Escarole and beans with sausage is a typical dish in Italian cuisine. Here I tossed it all with pasta, and loved the results! It turned out to be a winner with everyone in my home, even my picky kids. You can easily make it gluten-free and swap out the escarole for your favorite greens.
When I make pasta dishes, I try to incorporate lots of lean protein and loads of veggies to keep the dish balanced with large enough portions that will keep me satisfied. If you wanted to switch this up with grains, this would be great with farro or barley as well.
What is Escarole?
If you’ve had Italian Wedding Soup, then you’ve probably had escarole. It’s green and leafy, a mix between spinach, kale and lettuce usually sold in bunches that look a lot like a head of lettuce. When looking for it in the supermarket you can usually find it near the lettuce and collards.
Variations and Tips
- Greens – any leafy green vegetable can be used here, if you can’t find escarole, kale or spinach will work fine.
- Beans – any white bean would be great here, try navy or northern beans in place of cannellini beans.
- Brands of chicken sausage – For the Italian chicken sausage, the two brands that taste best are Al Fresco’s uncooked Italian sweet chicken sausage or Premio Italian Chicken Sausage, look for sweet or hot.
- Grains – If you prefer to skip the pasta, you can make this with whole grains like farro, so good!
More Escarole Recipes
Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans
Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans made with lots of garlic, lean Italian chicken sausage, white cannellini beans, crushed red pepper and grated cheese.
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 10 oz pasta, wheat or gluten-free pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 12 oz uncooked Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing (Al Fresco)
- 1/2 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Eden)
- 1 medium head, 7-8 cups escarole rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse escarole and tear into bite sized pieces.
- Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup water before draining.
- While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.
- Add olive oil; when hot add onions, garlic, salt and pepper until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside in a dish.
- Add chicken broth and beans to the skillet.
- Add the escarole; stir and cook about 4 minutes or until wilted.
- Gently stir in sausage, pasta, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of the reserved water or more if needed and grated Parmesan. Adjust salt and pepper if needed and toss well; transfer to a large serving bowl. Enjoy with some extra cheese on the side.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 332 kcal, Carbohydrates: 45 g, Protein: 22.5 g, Fat: 8.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2.5 g, Cholesterol: 61.5 mg, Sodium: 526 mg, Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 1 g
