Hey guys, I know it’s been forever so I thought I would give you a quick life update! We found out in June that I am pregnant (which lead to several months of food aversions to everything I normally love; I’m looking at you zucchini). And I am due in just 9 weeks with a precious baby girl! Time has been flying by and I am sad that I haven’t checked in with any of you. Especially because I have been cooking non-stop and have lots to share! Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I haven’t completely abandoned you but, I hope to be a bit more active here as well.
Today’s recipe is something I kind of stumbled upon and it was just too good not to share with you all. It takes about an hour to throw together (including about 45 minutes of downtime while its baking) which means more time doing things like searching Pinterest for the perfect nursery paint color…. just me?
To make this, simply brown the sausage (I used mild Italian due to a fun pregnancy symptom called heartburn) with some onion and garlic, add in the parsley and kale. Then simmer in a marinara sauce of your choosing (I personally loved the vodka sauce with the sausage), add in uncooked pasta noodles and transfer to a large baking dish. Seriously it’s that easy. 
And it keeps so well in the fridge, we plan on having it for lunch AND dinner today. You know you have a hit on your hands when you’re looking forward to leftovers at 10 am. 
Oh, and for picky eaters, I would recommend either leaving out the kale completely, or using about half of the amount listed.
- 1 lb. penne pasta
- 1 16 oz. container vodka pasta sauce
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups roughly chopped kale
- 1 cup water
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup-1 cup freshly grated parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 375. In a large sauté pan, add the sausage over a medium heat until it begins to brown. Add in the garlic and red onion and simmer until the onion is translucent. Add in the parsley and kale and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the pasta sauce and simmer for another 5. Gently stir in the penne noodles to coat them in the sauce, then transfer to a large baking dish. Push the noodles into the sauce (they should be mostly covered, and if not add additional water to the pan). And cover with tinfoil and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh mozzarella and parmesan and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15, or until the cheese has fully melted.
- Serve immediately!
