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WW Recipe of the Day: Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage & Kale
I came across this recipe for Weight Watchers Pasta with Chicken Sausage while searching for a kale recipe to make for this week’s 38 Power Foods Blogging Group.
For the past eight weeks, a group of bloggers, led by Mireya of My Healthy Eating Habits, has been posting recipes using the healthy ingredients from Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link) by Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine.
We’re now up to ingredient number 9 in the vegetables chapter: kale, a real nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamins A, B-6 and C, fiber, iron, calcium, and carotenoids.
I was introduced to kale several years ago while attending The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and have been a fan ever since.
Recipe Notes
As soon as I read all the great reviews on weightwatchers.com for this simple pasta with Italian chicken sausage and kale, I knew I wanted to try it.
The recipe suggests you use rigatoni, but any short cut pasta (such as penne or ziti) would work. I think this dish would be tasty with whole wheat pasta too, which I plan to try next time.
Also, I bumped up the amount of kale from 4 cups to six with good results. Who knew such a simple recipe with just 5 ingredients could be so satisfying?
I like to add some crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning when I add the broth to give the dish a little more zip.
Be sure to remove the tough stems and ribs from the kale before chopping.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale?
According to my calculations, each serving has 356 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
8 SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Recipe Variations
Spicier
Add crushed red pepper flakes in with the sausage.
No Kale
Substitute your favorite leafy green such as spinach, swiss chard, etc.
Vegetarian
Substitute drained canned white beans for the sausage, be sure to bump up the flavor with more seasonings such as garlic, oregano, etc.
More Veggies
Chopped tomatoes would be nice. Add them once the kale has begun to wilt.
If you’ve made this Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale Pasta, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
WW Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups short-cut pasta such as penne or rigatoni
- 8 ounces chicken or turkey sweet Italian sausage
- 6 cups kale with tough stems and ribs removed, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and cook in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, breaking up sausage as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Add kale; cook, stirring frequently, until limp, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add broth to skillet and scrape up browned bits on bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon (affiliate link); season with salt and pepper.
- Cover skillet and reduce heat to low; cook until kale is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in pasta and heat through. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons of cheese before serving.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 8 SmartPoints (Green plan) 8 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 8 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 8 PointsPlus (Old plan) The original recipe suggests you use rigatoni, but any short cut pasta (such as penne or ziti) would work. I think this dish would be tasty with whole wheat pasta too, which I plan to try next time. I like to add some crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning when I add the broth to give the dish a little more zip. Be sure to remove the tough stems and ribs from the kale before chopping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Weight Watchers
For more great delicious kale recipes, check out the blogs of these talented food-blogging ladies who are participating in the Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link) group today:
Links to more Weight Watchers Friendly Kale Recipes
- How to Cook Kale – A basic 0 Points value recipe
- A Collection of Kale Recipes – from my files and around the Webs, many with Points values
- Raw Dinosaur Kale Salad – colorful and tasty with 1 WW PointsPlus, 2 WW Points
- Lentils with Sausage & Kale – an easy one-dish dinner with 7 WW PointsPlus, 5 WW Points
Alyce, I agree that trading out chicken or turkey sausage is a great way to keep an eye on the waist. My family never objects and likes it just as well.
Mireya, love your idea for adding fresh tomatoes. Will add some halved cherry tomatoes the next time I make it.
Oh this sounds good. I have some leftover kale so I’m going to make it for dinner. I’m going to add some fresh tomato too. Yum!
One of my favorite waist-watcher ideas is to give up pork sausage and move on to turkey or chicken. I made a variety of pastas and soups using turkey Italian sausage (including chili), but want to try this one with chicken sausage.
The greens add a great amount of fiber to fill you up,too. Happy Friday.
Delicious, Nutritious and super healthy. Great recipe.