Saucy Kale and Cannellini Pasta Is Veggie-Packed Comfort Food
There’s a lot to love about Italian-American cooking, from the antipasti platters to red-sauced suppers to frothy cappuccinos. What we love most, though, is how it combines sophisticated concepts with unfussy execution.
The culinary tradition stems from Italy, of course, where chefs obsess over hyper-regional ingredients like Sicilian Castelvetrano olives, Roman artichokes, and rich, Neapolitan buffalo milk mozzarella. Italian-American cuisine, however, is rooted in the practicality of immigrant kitchens. Throughout the 20th century, resourceful cooks reinvented beloved, Old World traditions with the best quality North American produce and supermarket staples they could find. That high-minded pragmatism underscores Italian-American creations like penne alla vodka, eggplant parmigiana, and other recipes whose short lists of ingredients belie big flavors.
To those ranks we add this saucy kale and cannellini pasta. Made with fresh and seasonal ingredients, it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes, and is an ideal and healthy way to celebrate October’s Italian-American Heritage Month.
If you want to capture the spirit and flavors of Italian-American cooking at home, you’ll need the right ingredients. That’s where Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes come in. For four generations, Red Gold has worked with family farms across the Midwest. Their commitment to quality informs every step of their process, from sustainably farmed fields to family-run production facilities to non-BPA-lined cans. Red Gold tomatoes are all non-GMO, too, so you can feel good about how great they taste.
Plus, they’re perfect in this pasta. Like Italian-American cuisine itself, Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes combine art with ease. Each can has the unique ability to elevate a 30-minute pasta into a taste of la dolce vita from the old country.
This October, as kale and other leafy greens hit the market, combine them with diced tomatoes and a few other pantry items to create this easy, Italian-American pasta recipe that’s sure to become a favorite in your kitchen.
Saucy Kale and Cannellini Pasta
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2
medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves
garlic
- 1
medium bunch kale (about 12 ounces)
- 1
(14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 tablespoon
dried oregano
- 3 cups
low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1
(14.5-ounce) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup
orecchiette
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Dice 1/2 medium yellow onion (about 1 cup). Mince 4 garlic cloves. Use your hands to pull the kale leaves from their stems. Coarsely chop the leaves (about 5 cups). Drain and rinse 1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Add 1 (14.5-ounce) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with their juices to the pot, along with the 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, the beans, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered.
Once the mixture has come to a rolling boil, lower heat to medium-high to maintain a boil, and add 1 cup orecchiette. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente, approximately 5 to 9 minutes, depending on pasta shape.
Add half of the kale and stir until wilted, about 1 minute, and then repeat with the other half, about 1 minute more. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.