I love the month of April! Spring is fast approaching and the weather is starting to change. I am starting to switch my ingredients a bit to match, while going for a little bit lighter taste compared to the heavier and heartier winter meals. Pasta dishes are a hit in my home year-round. My kids are sometimes tough to please but if there’s pasta involved there never seems to be any resistance. My husband is always a fan of any type of Italian-inspired meals, especially when I make it light while he’s trying to keep things healthy. On that note, integrating a little extra veggie is a great way to give a pasta dish that lighter, Spring appeal.
Kale is everywhere these days but is underutilized in pasta dishes. With the right accompanying ingredients (which I think I’ve assembled here), you’ll have a healthy pasta treat that packs tons of nutritional value. I chose just a handful of light and simple ingredients, and paired it with Bertolli Five Cheese Sauce. There’s no need to add any extra cheese as this sauce has high quality Provolone, Parmesan, Romano, Aged Asiago and Fontina cheeses. I especially love the hints of the aged Asiago and Romano flavors. Bertolli makes the best traditional tasting pasta sauce, going back 150 years to roots in Lucca, Italy.
Bertolli is celebrating their milestone anniversary with a ‘Viva Bertolli’ page on their website, showcasing 150 ways bring Tuscany to your table. I had a lot of fun reading through them, and learned some cool things too. The best way in my opinion is by using a premium tasting pasta sauce like Bertolli. It will make the difference and pair well as you explore even the untraditional ingredients like the shallots and kale in this recipe.
I also made another recipe of Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage that gives a meatier alternative yet is still suited for Spring with light elements for you to enjoy.
Learn 150 ways you can bring Tuscany to the table and click here to find out more about Bertolli products and recipes
Thank you to Bertolli for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to celebrate. Viva Bertolli!
Kale Pasta Italian - Inspired Meals for Spring with Bertolli Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cooked Spaghetti
- 4 cups Kale
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Shallots
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Bertolli Five Cheese Sauce
Instructions
- Put olive oil in a medium saute pan
- Simply sauté the garlic, shallots then add Kale.
- Cook for about 3 minutes then add spaghetti and sauce
- Stir for 1 minute, remove from the pan then serve
Italian Baked Pastina with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 cups Pastina pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 cup sweet italian chicken sausage
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 jar Bertolli Five Cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes
- Drain pasta and set aside
- Put olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add chicken sausage and cook for 3 minutes
- Add the onions and garlic then cook until soft and sausage is cooked through for another 5 minutes
- Put the chicken sausage mixture into a bowl then add cooked pasta
- Add the Bertolli sauce, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Place the whole mixture in a baking dish.
- In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of pasta mixture
- Drop small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Inspired by Food Network
Adrienne
This looks so good and your photos are amazing. I love to incorporate kale into different recipes.
Cathy
Wow!! Amazing! I love kale and this pasta looks so fun! A delicious dish!