I rarely long for legumes … unless they’re mashed and mixed with meat and veggies. Then I can’t seem to get enough of them.
So you can imagine how I feel about sausage, greens and beans pasta. It’s a delicious combination of four out of five food groups, which means the mélange eats like a meal and will satisfy your hunger.
I’m partial to using paccheri in this recipe – the shape does a good job of trapping and holding chunky sauces. As a result, each bite offers a pleasing contrast of flavors and textures. Of course, any kind of pasta will do. You’re welcome to sub in kale and chickpeas for the chard and cannellini beans, too. Get creative – just don’t skimp on the cheese!
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ pound hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing
- 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 12 ounces paccheri or other tube-shaped pasta
- 8 cups torn chard leaves
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add rosemary and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot and place on a paper towel to cool.
- Add sausage to pot and brown, breaking it into bite-size pieces with a spoon. Once sausage is browned, transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add beans to pot and cook, crushing lightly with the back of a spoon, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of the beans to bowl with sausage.
- Add wine to pot and simmer until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook paccheri 2 minutes less than al dente according to package directions. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pasta to pot with beans.
- Add chard and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid to pot; stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is just barely wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Add ½ cup Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If necessary, add more reserved cooking liquid to loosen the sauce.
- Add butter, prepared sausage and reserved beans and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with fried rosemary and remaining Parmesan cheese.
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