Italian Sausage with Penne and Escarole. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. This hearty Italian pasta dish has plenty of flavor without all the added fat of traditional pork sausage. This recipe was shared with me by a former coworker and I've been looking forward to making this for weeks because I'm a huge fan of escarole!

I cannot even begin to describe how good this is! A winner with everyone in my home, even my picky kids. Easily made gluten free with gluten-free pasta, for those of you who have dietary restrictions. You can cook Italian Sausage with Penne and Escarole using 9 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Italian Sausage with Penne and Escarole

You need 2 medium of onions, diced.
Prepare 1 of Red bell pepper, diced.
It's 1 of Salt & pepper to taste.
It's 1 1/2 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed.
You need 2 tsp of Garlic, minced.
Prepare 1 bunch of Escarole, torn to bite-size (approx. 2 heads).
It's 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated.
It's 1/4 tsp of Crushed red pepper.
It's 1 box of Penne.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the escarole, cannellini beans and liquid, and diced tomatoes with garlic and onion until heated through. The bitter escarole with the crumbled sausage in that light, garlicky broth is probably something more suited to an older palate, but there was just something about it's simplicity that I really loved (and possibly all the buttered Italian bread I would dip in it!). Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Toss sausage mixture, rigatoni, cheese together on an oven-proof platter.

Italian Sausage with Penne and Escarole step by step

Pour a small amount of extra virgin olive oil into a medium size pan.
Add onions, bell peppers, salt and pepper. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until mixture is carmalized..
Add sausage and break sausage up into little pieces until it browns(approx. 10 minutes).
Pour mixture into a large pot and add garlic and escarole (wash and spin dryed)..
Cook penne and add to mixture along with crushed red pepper and a little more olive oil to moisten.
Place mixture in serving dish and pour over parmesan cheese and more olive oil (if necessary)..

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. I know carbs are the enemy these days but sometimes you just want to fall face first into a pile of creamy pasta with no regrets. Stir in escarole and cook until wilted. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Transfer to paper towels to drain.