This healthy and flavorful vegan sausage pasta is a quick and easy weeknight meal. Have this protein-packed hearty meal on the table in less than 20 minutes! Full of spicy vegan sausage and cooked with olive oil, garlic, and healthy kale this is sure to be a meal that everyone will love.
❤️ Why make this recipe
This sausage pasta is a quick and easy weeknight meal that's bursting with flavor, packed with protein, and full of healthy sauteed kale.
Kale has a great texture, it holds up to sauteeing, and it pairs perfectly with the flavors of sausage!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Pasta - you can use any type of pasta that you would like. See which brands of pasta are vegan.
- Vegan Sausage - I like the hot Beyond sausages in this pasta dish, but you can use any type that you want or even use homemade vegan Italian sausages or my homemade TVP sausage crumbles.
- Olive Oil - to cook the sausages in. You will need a little extra oil if you don't use the Beyond sausages since they have a good bit of oil in them already and the other brands don't.
- Garlic - for flavor.
- Kale - you can swap this out with spinach or other leafy greens if you want, but you will not need to blanch other greens in the pasta water.
- Salt and Pepper - for flavor. Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper will also give this dish extra spice if wanted.
🔪 Helpful tools
- A large non-stick frying pan or a well-seasoned iron skillet.
🥄 Instructions
- Wash a large bunch of kale and rip the leaves off of the hard stem and set it aside.
- Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a large skillet and saute vegan Italian-style sausage in the oil until cooked through then add the minced garlic, stir and turn off the heat until you are ready to add the kale.
- About 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, toss the kale into the pasta water and blanch it in the hot water. (It will turn bright green.)
- After about 2 minutes, scoop out the kale with a slotted spoon or tongs and add it to the sauteed sausage and turn on the heat to medium. (You won't be able to get all of the kale, but that's okay.)
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and add it to the sauteed sausage and kale.
- Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Give it a shake or two of red pepper flakes or cayenne for a spicer dish.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Blanching the kale breaks down the cell structure and makes it tender without having to do the work of massaging the kale.
- Don't worry about getting all of the kale back out of the pasta water. It will get mixed in when you drain the pasta and toss it with the sausage.
❓ Frequently asked questions?
To make this vegan sausage and kale pasta gluten-free, simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta and be sure to use a gluten-free vegan sausage as well. Beyond sausages is a good choice if you want to use store-bought sausage or my sausage crumbles recipe using TVP also works great.
For most recipes, it is necessary to massage kale to break down the cell structure and gives it a better taste and texture. However, this method of blanching the kale allows you to skip this step.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This vegan sausage pasta will keep well in the fridge for about 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: The veggie sausage pasta freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the pasta in the microwave for about 3 minutes or add a few tablespoons of water or oil and reheat it in a frying pan on the stovetop.
🌟 More easy pasta recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan sausage pasta recipe
Vegan Sausage Pasta with Kale
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) package pasta
- 2 cups vegan sausage (1 package of 4 links)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 cups kale (One large bunch)
- 1 dash salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash a large bunch of kale and rip the leaves off of the hard stem and set it aside.
- Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a large skillet and saute vegan Italian-style sausage in the oil until cooked through then add the minced garlic, stir and turn off the heat until you are ready to add the kale.
- About 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, toss the kale into the pasta water and blanch it in the hot water. (It will turn bright green.)
- After about 2 minutes, scoop out the kale with a slotted spoon or tongs and add it to the sauteed sausage and turn on the heat to medium. (You won't be able to get all of the kale, that's okay.)
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and add it to the sauteed sausage and kale.
- Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Give it a shake or two of red pepper flakes or cayenne for a spicer dish.
Notes
- Blanching the kale breaks down the cell structure and makes it tender without having to do the work of massaging the kale.
- Don't worry about getting all of the kale back out of the pasta water. It will get mixed in when you drain the pasta and toss it with the sausage.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
I happened to have some Beyond sausage and kale on hand when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, so I thought that I would give it a try. It was delicious and love how easy it was to make! Thanks!
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Lindsay! 🙂