Easy Skillet Pasta with Sausage, Swiss Chard, and White Beans
Hello friends and happy March! I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the new month! It seems there have been so many road bumps over the past several weeks but I'm ready and excited to get back into the kitchen. It's been cold and snowy in Colorado so I’m in hibernation mode – easy meals and nights in are my winter jam and this hearty pasta dish does just the trick!
I love pasta for an easy, weeknight meal. It’s simple, budget friendly, and can be easily customized with different veggies, proteins, and flavors – Pasta really can be such well-rounded meal if done right. My skillet pasta with sausage, Swiss chard, and white beans is hearty and nourishing. The ingredients are unapologetically simple but so full of flavor. This recipe is also great for the transition from the cold months of winter to the warmer evenings of Spring. It’s satisfying and comforting without being too heavy.
And best of all, it’s cooked in one skillet (minus the pasta). I boil the pasta until it is slightly undercooked – And while that is happening on one burner, I heat up a large skillet on another to cook the sausage; make a light, flavorful sauce; and sauté some bright green chard and mild white beans. I finish with a touch of butter and add a good splash of fresh lemon juice at the end for brightness. Throw in some freshly shaved parmesan, let it melt into the nooks and crannies, and dinner is ready! This meal is so good and hits all the right notes of savory, salty, crunchy, and starchy. I truly hope you enjoy!
Ingredient Details
- Pasta –Any pasta would work for this recipe but I personally prefer a shorter variety such as such as Campanelle, Fusilli, or Penne. The pasta shown in the photos is Campanelle.
- Italian Sausage – You can use hot, mild, or sweet sausage in this recipe, depending on your personal preference. If you can’t find ground Italian sausage, you can buy raw sausage links and remove the casing – Just slice the casing and peel it off. It’s super easy!
- Yellow Onion, Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes – These pantry-staple ingredients add so much goodness to this recipe! I used dried herbs for this because they're easier, more budget-friendly than fresh, just as flavorful, and you may already have them on hand. The red pepper flakes do not add much heat to this recipe. However, if you are very sensitive to spicy, you can cut down on the amount or omit altogether.
- Beans – I like to use canned beans in this recipe because they’re a pantry staple and it makes for a quick, weeknight meal. Great Northern or Cannellini beans work best for this recipe. If you want to use dried beans, you certainly can – You’ll just have to cook them beforehand.
- Swiss Chard – Swiss chard is a mild tasting, hearty, leafy green. The stems are edible when cooked but I don’t use them for this recipe. I cut or tear the leafy part off and just use that. Swiss chard leaves can be dirty, so you’ll want to give them a good wash in cool water or a water/vegetable-safe food wash before using. Also, you can use any variety of Swiss chard in this recipe – white, red, green, or rainbow.
- Chicken Broth - Any chicken broth or stock will do! You may need to adjust the amount of salt you add, depending on if you use low sodium or regular broth.
- White Wine - You’ll want to use a dry or medium-bodied white wine for this soup. A Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay would work well. Nothing too sweet as it may completely change the flavor profile. I would not use cooking wine as it tends to be very acidic and can add an odd flavor. However, you do not need to spend a lot of money on a bottle of wine – There are so many good budget-friendly wines out there! Dark Horse, 99 Crimes, and Josh Cellars are some of my favorites. There are also some great boxed wines including Black Box, Bota Box, and Woodbridge.
- Pasta Water – Adding some of the water that the pasta was boiled helps to thicken the sauce and helps the sauce to stick to the noodles. I do this all the time with marinara sauce as well!
- Lemon Juice - This doesn’t add a lot of lemon flavor but instead adds a brightness and freshness to this dish. I love adding a splash of lemon juice right at the end of a savory recipe!
- Parmesan Cheese – Parmesan, Romano, or Pecorino cheese (or a mix) works well with this recipe as it adds a salty nuttiness to the dish. I like to add thinly shaved cheese so that it melts nicely into the pasta.
- Butter – Adding a touch of butter right at the end and letting it melt through adds a lightly creamy and smooth finish to the dish.
This hearty, weeknight pasta is one of my favorite meals. Budget-friendly, so easy to throw together, and a healthier take on your typical pasta dish.
- 2 to 2 1/2 cup dry, short pasta
- 1 lb hot or mild Italian sausage, removed from casing or ground
- 1 medium to large yellow onion, diced
- 4 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 15 oz can Great Northern or Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 cup Swiss chard, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup dry or medium-bodied white wine
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- Juice from half a lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 cup freshly shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp butter
First, you’ll want to boil your pasta. Fill a large pot with water and add a decent amount of salt – Your water should taste like the ocean. Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook slightly less than what the package instructions call for – You’ll want the pasta to a touch undercooked because it will continue to cook in the skillet. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Coat the pasta with a splash of olive oil to keep it from sticking and set aside.
Meanwhile, crumble the sausage and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside. At this point, if you have an overabundance of grease left in the skillet, you can pour some out. However, you will want a couple of tablespoons to sauté the remaining ingredients.
Add the onion to the skillet. Sprinkle with a few dashes of salt and pepper and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the pasta water, broth, and wine. Bring to a strong simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and sausage back into the skillet along with the beans. Gently stir and heat through. Nestle pieces of the butter into the skillet and let melt. Gently stir to coat everything with the melted butter.
Add in the Swiss chard. Stir gently, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the chard is just wilted. Add the lemon juice and stir. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Top with another sprinkling of Parmesan if desired and serve.