Here’s a one-skillet weeknight main dish that’s versatile, uncomplicated and sure to satisfy. Cooking sausages on top of the lentil mixture infuses this meal with rich, meaty flavor.
In lieu of Italian sausage, we used what we had on hand, one pound of homemade Garlic-Wine-Romano sausage from a local meat market. While the meat was 50% shy of the total amount in the original recipe, it suited the two of us just fine. All-in-all, an easy, quick weeknight recipe with a lot of flexibility.
The bonus here is, other than a skillet and a chef’s knife, there’s not a lot of clean up!
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate.
Reduce heat to medium, add shallots and garlic to now-empty skillet, and cook until vegetables start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add kale, broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in lentils. Arrange browned sausage on top of lentil mixture and transfer skillet to oven. Cook, uncovered, until sausage registers 160 degrees, about 12 minutes. Whisk yogurt, mustard, and water together in bowl; drizzle over top. Serve.
With the hot, humid dog days of summer behind us, that’s when we start craving cool-weather sustenance like soups and stews. Here, spicy sausage, tender chickpeas, and savory aromatics come together for a comforting bowl of goodness in this one-pot soup; a recipe found in Food & Wine Magazine.
Think of it as a cozy mash-up of Zuppa Toscana and Marry Me chicken. Spicy sausage adds a deep, savory flavor while sun-dried tomatoes lend a sweet-tangy richness to the broth. Chickpeas make the soup extra satisfying without feeling heavy, and the vegetables are perfectly tender with just a slight bite. It’s an umami-packed bowl that’s both comforting and nourishing. For the best texture and browning, use sausage out of its casing — it breaks up more easily with a spoon and browns more evenly in the pan.
For a milder soup, you can use regular Italian sausage instead of the spicy variety. We used sweet Italian sausage because that’s what we had on hand, but we added some red pepper flakes to include the spiciness. However, our fresh basil from the herb garden was past it’s prime. Instead of buying a bunch from the farm market or grocery store, we substituted 2 teaspoons of dried Tuscan Italian seasoning.
The soup was fantastic! *That being said, you want to maximize flavor by using homemade chicken stock. Canned or boxed stock just does not have the depth of flavor. Also, The Hubs used dried chickpeas that were soaked overnight with aromatics then cooked in a pressure cooker—a time-saver. **The broth (from canned or cooked) can be used along with the chicken stock for additional flavoring.
NOTE: Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat gently on the stovetop before serving. You may want to add more broth when reheating, and that’s totally fine. Soups like this also freeze well — just let it cool completely, then ladle into freezer-safe containers or large ziplock bags and store in the freezer for one to two months.
1 lb. spicy (or sweet) Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 large celery stalk, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
8 cups chicken stock*
2 15-oz. cans **chickpeas, save the liquid for part of the broth
4 cups torn lacinato kale leaves (about 1 bunch)
2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus more for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil OR 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Directions
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring often and breaking into small crumbles using a wooden spoon, until sausage is rendered and browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add onion and celery to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often and scraping bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using) and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in stock and chickpea broth, Italian seasoning (if using) and chickpeas; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
Add kale to Dutch oven; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, cream, basil (if using), and salt.
Divide soup evenly among bowls, and garnish with additional cheese, if desired.
Chorizo is a highly seasoned chopped or ground pork sausage used in Spanish and Mexican cuisine. Mexican chorizo is made with fresh (raw, uncooked) pork; while the Spanish version, which is used here, is made with garlic and pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika, either sweet or hot), which gives it its deep brick-red color and smoky flavor.
Using rendered chorizo to cook down garlic, tomato paste, and sherry vinegar creates a red-tinged mixture at the bottom of the pan; with water, it becomes a flavorful braising liquid for sturdy greens, then warming canned chickpeas, and finishing your previously seared fish.
Finishing the lean, flaky fish in liquid ensures gentle cooking so you don’t end up with rubbery overdone fish. Crispy chickpeas, made first, in the same pan, add a textural garnish. Add a piece of crusty bread for sopping up all the extra sauce and you have a dish that’s fast enough for a weeknight but elevated enough for company.
For an extra fiery version of this dish, swap in a tablespoon of Calabrian chile paste for one of the two tablespoons of tomato paste (you’ll want to still use a bit of tomato paste to ensure the sauce gets some color).
We made numerous changes including increasing the olive oil, using a larger can of chickpeas, decreasing the amount of flour, and starting with a larger skillet. All of our changes are noted in the recipe below.
4 oz. smoked Spanish chorizo, casing removed if needed, cut into very small pieces
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces (about 6 cups)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Directions
Place ⅓ cup all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl. Season 1–1½ pounds skinless cod fillet, cut into 2–4 pieces, patted dry, on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then press one side into flour to coat and tap off excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high. Cook ½ cup chickpeas, rinsed, tossing often, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl; season with salt.
Reduce heat to medium. Cook cod, flour side down, in oil left in pan until light golden underneath, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and arrange browned side up.
Cook 4 ounces smoked Spanish chorizo, casing removed if needed, cut into very small pieces, in same pan, stirring often, until oil is red and chorizo is starting to crisp, about 1 minute. Add 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until combined about 1 minute. Add 1 medium bunch kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces (about 4 cups), and stir to coat, then add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, remaining chickpeas, a pinch of salt, and 1 cup water. Cook, tossing often, until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.
Arrange cod, browned side up, in pan; simmer, spooning sauce over, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Top with crisped chickpeas and season with black pepper.
A Spanish-Italian mash-up of sorts, this tasty meal can be adaptable to your specific tastes. We thought it was bit shy on the meat, and therefore if you want a more meat-centric meal, you could probably double, or at least increase by half, the amount of sausage*. We also sliced the sausage into more manageable bites.
To make it a bit more Spanish, use chorizo and spicy pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika). The beans and kale provide plenty of healthy fiber.
**Additional option: drain 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Add tomatoes when adding red wine and seasonings to onions. Use reserved juices as part of the 1 1/2 cups water to kale mixture.
Skillet-Braised Spicy Sausage with Cannellini Beans and Kale
1 lb. lacinato kale, stemmed and torn into 2-inch pieces
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, undrained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. sherry vineager
Directions
Bring sausage links and 1/4 cup water to simmer in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover and cook until sausages register at least 135°F, 8 to 10 minutes. (If pot contents begin to sizzle, add 1/4 cup water.)
Uncover, and using pairing knife, pierce each link in 8 to 10 spots to release fat and juices. Continue to cook, uncovered, moving sausages as necessary until dark fond forms on bottom of pot, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer sausages to cutting board.
Add onion and garlic slices to now-empty pot, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in wine scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato paste, paprika and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is reduced to thick , syrupy glaze, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in kale and remaining 1 1/2 cups water, cover and cook until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and their liquid, cover and cook for 5 minutes longer. Return sausages to pot nestling links into kale and beans.
Cover and continue to cook until sausages register 160°F, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping sausages ad tiring halfway through cooking. Transfer sausages to cutting board and cut each link into about 1/2-inch slices on a diagonal.
Off heat, stir in oil and vinegar into kale mixture and season to taste with salt. Divide kale, beans and sauce into shallow bowls. Top with sausage and serve.
Hailing from Milk Street, this flavorful meal-in-a-pot was inspired by Portuguese arroz de grelos com farinheira, a comforting combination of garlicky rice cooked with turnip greens and sausage. This version uses supple lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale) instead of turnip greens.
Linguiça calabresa is Calabrian chili-seasoned smoke-cured pork sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika, popular in the countries of Portugal and Brazil, that typically is sold already cooked or smoked. If it’s not available (which it was not in our case), or if you prefer to use a sausage without any spice, kielbasa is a fine substitute.
Don’t forget to let the rice cook until dry after it’s added to the pot. This evaporates any water left from rinsing the grains. Also, when simmering is complete, be sure to allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes to allow the rice to finish cooking and the ingredients to absorb moisture.
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
8 oz. linguiça or kielbasa sausage, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
¾-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
1 medium bunch lacinato kale (about 12 oz.), stemmed and chopped into rough 1-inch pieces
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Directions
In a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the sausage, garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, until sizzling and dry, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the kale a handful at a time, stirring until wilted after each addition.
Stir in 2¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon black pepper, then bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce to low and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice mixture with a fork.
Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and black pepper.
What a powerhouse of healthy ingredients! First, there’s the barley. This versatile grain has a somewhat chewy consistency and a slightly nutty flavor that can complement many dishes. It’s also rich in many nutrients and packs some impressive health benefits, ranging from improved digestion and weight loss to lower cholesterol levels and a healthier heart.
And mushrooms are a low-calorie food that packs a nutritional punch. Loaded with many health-boosting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they’ve long been recognized as an important part of any diet. Plus, the anti-inflammatory effect of mushrooms has been shown to greatly improve the efficiency of the immune system.
Kale, one of the so-called “superfoods” is also packed with nutrition that puts it high on the list of world’s healthiest food, not to mention it is low in calories and has zero grams of fat.
All health info aside, the soup is just darn tasty too! Because our onion wasn’t very large, we also included a shallot. Instead of lining a strainer with cheesecloth, The Hubs drained the hydrating porcinis through a coffee filter, which prevents any grit seeping into the broth.
It will keep for about three days in the refrigerator, but the barley will swell and absorb liquid, so you will have to add more to the pot when you reheat. We added one cup of mushroom broth when we reheated a few days later.
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced thick
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
3/4 cup whole or pearl barley
1 1/2 qts. chicken stock, or beef stock
A bouquet garni made with a few sprigs each thyme, parsley and a bay leaf
8 oz. kale, stemmed and washed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup, and pour on two cups boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Set a strainer over a bowl, and line it with cheesecloth, or better yet, a coffee filter. Lift the mushrooms from the water and squeeze over the strainer, then rinse in several changes of water. Squeeze out the water and set aside. Strain the soaking water through the cheesecloth/coffee filter-lined strainer. Add water as necessary to make two cups. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about five minutes.
Add the sliced fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are beginning to soften, about three minutes, and add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Continue to cook for about five minutes, until the mixture is juicy and fragrant.
Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms, the barley, the mushroom soaking liquid, and the stock or water. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, stack the kale leaves in bunches and cut crosswise into slivers. Add the kale to the simmering soup, and continue to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
The barley should be tender and the broth aromatic. The kale should be very tender. Remove the bouquet garni, taste and adjust salt, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and serve.
Found in a recent Fine Cooking Magazine, this tasty side dish recipe is a perfect combination of balsamic vinegar, kale, and red onion. The side made a wonderful partner to our Roasted Loin Chops with Charmoula.
With only the two of us, we cut the amount of onions and kale in half, the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth by a third, and the remaining ingredients were kept the same. The original recipe is intact below.
In bowl toss onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large skillet; add onion mixture. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add broth and vinegar. Cover; cook 15 minutes or until onions are tender.
Add butter. Increase heat to high. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, until onions are glazed.
Meanwhile, add kale to roasting pan. Toss with remaining oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast, uncovered, 15 minutes, tossing 3 times.
Sweet potatoes roasted until deeply browned and tossed with a touch of paprika are a great foil for the savory, minerally notes of a miso-dressed kale salad, as noted in Milk Street magazine. The char on the potatoes provides a note of bitterness that balances the richness of the miso. Scallions and cilantro add fresh herbal notes and toasted nuts add crunch. (I switched out pistachios for the walnuts which The Hubs can’t stand.)
4 medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 2¼ pounds), peeled, halved crosswise and cut into 1-inch wedge
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ tsp. sweet paprika
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 small garlic clove, grated
4 tsp. sherry vinegar
1½ tsp. white miso
5 oz. baby kale
3 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup chopped walnuts or pistachios, toasted
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 4 tablespoons of the oil. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the baking sheet and roast until tender and the edges begin to darken, about 30 minutes.
Stir the potatoes, return to the oven and increase to 500°F. Roast until dark spotty brown and slightly crisped, about another 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with paprika, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, then toss.
While the potatoes roast, in a small bowl, stir together the garlic and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes to mellow the garlic. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the miso and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
When the potatoes are done, in another large bowl, toss together the kale, scallions, cilantro and half the walnuts. Pour in the dressing and toss. Divide the sweet potatoes among serving plates and top with the salad. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts/pistachios.
Accounting for Taste 