The smell of crumbled Italian sausage sizzling in a pan makes me long for one my nana’s pizza pies that she would make while standing at our butcher block in my child hood home. There’s something about it’s unctuous spicy flavor that swiftly transports me to my childhood kitchen, a time when I could barely even see over that butcher block.
I love having Italian sausage on hand for this reason, and it’s pairing with kale is a match made in heaven. Feel free to substitute chicken sausage if you’re trying to be on the healthier side, but in my opinion, nothing quite makes up for the flavor the Italian sausage brings to the party. Grab the recipe below and subscribe here so that you never miss a beat!
- 2 c cooked brown rice
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 small sweet red peppers, chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 Italian sausage links, removed from casing
- 2 c kale, chopped
- 1 handful parmesan cheese (optional)
- In a large saute pan, heat the evoo on medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic, red peppers and a 1 tsp of kosher salt. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Add the sausage, crumbling it as you add it into the pan. Break it up more with a wooden spoon so that it is reduced to small crumbles. Cook for 7 minutes or until no longer pink.
- Add in the kale and cook it in the fat from the sausage and the vegetables. Stir until it is wilted and add another teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Transfer the brown rice into the large saute pan and coat the rice with all of the sausage and kale goodness. Serve immediately with a handful of parmesan to top.
Totally lame but necessary anecdote, in addition to Whitney Houston, Nana always loved listening to me sing to Celine Dion in our family room. Below was one of her favorites, which was popular in 1996 while I was the ripe old age of 10. Enjoy this throwback!
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