Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale

Weight Watchers SmartPoints Recipe of the Day: Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage & Kale
(356 calories | *8 WW SmartPoints)

I came across this recipe for Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale while searching for a kale recipe to make for this week’s 38 Power Foods Blogging Group.

Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale

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 #9 in the vegetables chapter: kale, a real nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamins A, B6 & 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.
 

Skinny on Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale

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?

According to my calculations, each serving has 356 calories, *8 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, *8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints. Enjoy!

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Sausage Pasta with Kale 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 Sausage & Kale Pasta, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it.

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4.8 from 5 votes

Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale

Simple, quick and easy, this Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale is a dinner your whole family will love

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Servings (adjustable): 4

Calories: 356

Author: Martha | Simple Nourished Living

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; 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.

Recipe Notes

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.

 

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: *8

Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints: *8

Nutrition Facts

Weight Watchers Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale

Amount Per Serving (1 -1/2 cups)

Calories 356 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Carbohydrates 32g11%

Fiber 3.5g14%

Protein 28g56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: kale and sausage pasta, sausage pasta with kale

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Source: Weight Watchers

*PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT Weight Watchers Zero Points fruits and vegetables using the WW Recipe Builder.

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:

• Alyce @ More Time at the Table
• Ansh @ Spice Roots
• Jeanette @ Jeanette's Healthy Living
• Jill @ Saucy Cooks
• Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
• Sarah @ Everything in the Kitchen Sink
• Casey @ Bookcase Foodie
• Bambi @ Adobo Down Under

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, *3 WW Freestyle SmartPoints
• Lentils with Sausage & Kale – an easy one-dish dinner with *7 WW PointsPlus, *5 WW Freestyle SmartPoints

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