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Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Escarole
This colorful and flavorful pasta dish is sure to be a hit with your family. It cooks in about 20 minutes, making it perfect for a busy weeknight. You can even prep the vegetables earlier in the day to save time.
If you’ve never cooked with escarole, you definitely need to try it. Escarole is a mildly bitter, leafy green that looks like lettuce. It’s part of the chicory family, which also includes endive and radicchio. If you can’t find escarole in your grocery store, you can use spinach or Swiss chard as a substitute.
When it comes to Italian chicken sausage, it’s important to find a quality one. Not all chicken sausages are alike, so it’s a good idea to know your butcher or the person making the sausage if possible. If you can’t find chicken sausage, turkey sausage would also work.
Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Variations:
- Use spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or another leafy green as an escarole substitute.
- Swap turkey sausage for the chicken sausage.
- If you can’t find uncooked sausage, use cooked chicken sausage and thinly slice it.
- Substitute the red bell pepper for yellow or green ones or use a mix of colors.
- Add sliced mushrooms if you’d like more veggies.
- Skip the red pepper flakes if you’re not a fan of spicy foods.
- Make this dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
Rinse escarole and tear into bite sized pieces. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup water before draining. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; when hot add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add escarole, cover and cook for 2 minutes; then remove the cover, stir and cook about 3 more minutes or until wilted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, red pepper flakes, reserved water and Parmigiano Reggiano, toss well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Enjoy!
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Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 297.7 kcal, Carbohydrates: 47.2 g, Protein: 20.6 g, Fat: 5.5 g, Fiber: 7.5 g, Sugar: 1.1 g
