Dec 1, 2012

Kale Kale Everywhere

Clearly Dr. Suess wasn't exposed to the wonderful glorious world of kale when he penned his most famous children's story. Although we all know how it goes: they wouldn't eat the green eggs and ham because, well, it was green. IF they had just made the eggs with the superfood leafy green kale, then no one's nose would have turned up. If my [picky] 2-year old eats kale, then a make-believe Suess character certainly would. So now, I've found myself putting it in everything!

I first fell hard for kale after trying it prepared with a coconut cream sauce. I was expecting something bitter, tough. Quite the contrary. It's mellow yet savory with a hearty texture. It needs to be cooked, that's a given. Raw kale (unless fried or baked to make chips) is not tasty. A quick poach in some salted boiling water and it's a perfect addition to any meal.

Like my pasta, mushroom, cauliflower, sausage, casserole! That's right, casserole. I'm a mom, which means I make casseroles... All the time. They seem to be my go-to one-pot meal lately. The best part is the leftovers. I can *slave in the kitchen for a couple hours one night, and not have to worry the next.

*Pour some wine, strip some kale leaves, etc etc etc... 1 hour later, done!

Ingredients:
  • 1 bunch kale - stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbs butter
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 12 oz (4 links) chicken sausage, sliced
  • 1 cup dried pasta
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 10-1/2 oz can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 package Daiya mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F.  Toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread onto baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add sausage to fry pan and bake for additional 10 minutes alongside cauliflower. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt. Add kale, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from water, but reserve water to cook pasta. Proceed to bring back up to boil (add more water if necessary) and cook pasta according to package, minus 1-2 minutes for al dente.

Using fry pan from sausage, on medium high heat, melt butter then saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes, tossing in the pan halfway through.

In a large casserole dish, stir together the cream cheese, soup and broth. Stir together the cauliflower, sausage, kale, pasta, and mushrooms until combined. Scatter the Daiya cheese evenly overtop and cover with lid or foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Serves approx. 8.



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