Cavatelli & Hot Italian Pork Sausage

Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Wash and dry the kale. Separate the kale leaves from the stems; discard the stems, then roughly chop the leaves. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic.

In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sausage. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate. 

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 11 to 13 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, to the pan of reserved fond, add the chopped kale. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add the chopped garlic  and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened and combined. Add the browned sausage and 1/2 cup of water (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through and most of the water has cooked off. Turn off the heat.

To the pan of cooked kale and sausage, add the cooked pasta and half the reserved pasta cooking water. Cook on medium- high, stirring constantly,  1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is coated (if necessary, gradually add the remaining cooking water to ensure the pasta is thoroughly coated). Turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone until combined. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished pasta garnished with the parmesan. Enjoy!