Beans and Greens Sausage Pasta

Beans and greens sausage pasta is an easy-to-make dish loaded with flavors and of course, greens!  Escarole and spinach, cannellini beans, and sweet fennel sausage are tossed with pasta in a garlicky white wine sauce and finished with plenty of Pecorino Romano.  Sausage, beans, and greens pasta is perfect for weeknights because you've got all you need in one dish!

Escarole and bean soup or really any greens and beans are a winning combination because it's easy and healthy.  

Add in some sausage and pasta, and you've got an EASY full meal.

Beans and greens sausage pasta is a regular in our home for these exact reasons and we're guessing you may add this to your weekly rotation too!

And as usual, we hope you'll use this recipe as inspiration to make it your own!  

Add other greens, like kale or broccoli rabe, or make it spicy with hot cherry peppers.  The possibilities are endless!

And, don't worry if you can't find escarole.  Just double the amount of spinach.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons of kosher salt per gallon of water) to a boil.  Chop 10 cloves of garlic.
2. Remove the tough outer leaves and the tops of the escarole and roughly chop.

3. Once the escarole is chopped, rinse it very well and run it through a salad spinner to remove excess water.  Escarole can get pretty gritty so make sure you're rinsing it thoroughly.  Note: You could also soak the escarole in a large pot or bowl and let the grit fall to the bottom of the pot.  Use 2-3 water changes to remove the grit.  I still think a salad spinner is the easier way to do this. 
4. In a very large pan, saute the sausage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Use the back of a spoon to break up the sausage.  After about 7 minutes the sausage should be browned and cooked through and can be moved to a separate plate, tented with foil, to stay warm.  
5. Add 6 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan along with the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until the garlic is golden.  Add ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. 
6. Add the escarole along with ¼ cup of water and a pinch of salt and saute for 3 minutes.  Note:  The water will help stem the tough escarole and prevent the garlic from burning.

7. Add 1 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat to high.  After 2-3 minutes the liquid should be reduced by half.  Turn the heat down to medium.  At this point, you can begin boiling the pasta and cook until 1 minute less than al dente.
8. Add 2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans to the pan and sautee with the escarole.  Using the back of a wooden spoon, mash about half the beans.   Add a few ladles of pasta water to keep the mixture moist.  Note:  Don't worry about the exact amount of water, since you will add more in the next steps.
9. A few minutes before the pasta is ready, add the sausage back to the pan along with 1 cup of pasta water and mix well.
10. Add the pasta to the pan and continue to cook, stirring frequently.  

11. Cook the pasta right until it reaches just al dente, then add 10 ounces of baby spinach and mix together.  Cover the pan tightly then turn off the heat.  The residual heat will wilt the spinach in roughly 2 minutes.
12. Remove the lid and add ½ cup of grated Pecorino Romano and ¼ cup of minced parsley, giving it a toss to combine.  Taste test and adjust salt and pepper levels.  If the pasta is at all dry, add more of the reserved pasta water to get a perfect consistency.  Serve with more Pecorino Romano and enjoy!

Top tips for sausage beans and greens pasta

• The greens.  We love escarole and spinach for this recipe, but feel free to use other greens or combinations.  Chard, kale, dandelion, and broccoli rabe would all be great with the sausage and pasta!
• The sausage.  We used bulk sweet Italian sausage with fennel for this recipe.  If you can't find bulk sausage, buy sausage links and remove the sausage from the casing.  You can also keep the casing on and slice the sausage on a bias if you prefer.  Or, you can omit the sausage entirely and make this a vegetarian meal.  If you can't find fennel sausage but like the taste of fennel, add 1-2 teaspoons of fennel seeds while cooking the sausage.
• The wine.  This recipe calls for a cup of dry white wine but for those who prefer to use no alcohol, you can simply omit the wine and replace it with a bit of pasta water to account for the difference in liquid.
• The pasta water.  As mentioned above, you can use more pasta water to replace the wine, but pasta water is important in this dish even if you are using wine.  Always reserve pasta water to bring the pasta back to life if it dries out too much.  The sauce is made primarily of partly mashed beans and the starchy pasta water.  It coats the pasta and leaves a glistening sheen to it.
• Additions.  Our goal is to inspire you to make recipes your own.  Beans and greens pasta with sausage is the perfect canvas for additions!  Some ideas are adding olives, capers, hot cherry peppers, or cherry tomatoes.   

More easy pasta dishes

Here are a few of our favorite easy pasta dishes, some with sausage, some with greens!

• Rigatoni primavera - Broccolini, asparagus, peas, zucchini, and yellow squash in a light pink cream sauce.
• Pasta alla Norcina - Sausage and pasta tossed in a creamy white wine sauce.
• Sausage pasta fagioli - crumbled sausage, cannellini and butter beans, and pasta simmered in a tomato-based broth.
• Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe - This iconic dish combines pasta, sausage, and broccoli rabe in a garlic and oil sauce.
• Pasta con broccoli - Orecchiette with broccoli, garlic, and oil.

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