Pasta with Kielbasa and Swiss Chard
A hearty pasta dish combining spicy kielbasa sausage with nutritious Swiss chard, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The slight heat from red pepper flakes perfectly complements the savory kielbasa and slightly bitter chard.
Ingredients
- •¾ pound Swiss chard
- •½ pound kielbasa
- •2 tablespoons olive oil
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •2 cloves garlic
- •½ cup water
- •¼ teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
- •¾ pound penne
- •1 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cut out center ribs and stems from chard, then thoroughly wash, along with leaves, in several changes of cold water. Cut ribs and stems crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and coarsely chop leaves.
10 min
- 2.
Cook kielbasa in oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cook chard ribs and stems with salt in fat remaining in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chard leaves, water, and red-pepper flakes and simmer, partially covered, until chard stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir in kielbasa.
12 min
- 3.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta to chard mixture with cheese and salt to taste and toss until combined well. Thin with some of reserved pasta water if necessary.
15 min
