Go Back
–+ servings
Print

Bitter Greens & Sausage Pasta Bake

The star of the show in this sausage pasta bake is the bitter greens, which are actually purples: radicchio and endive. It’s based on an old Italian recipe that I was obsessed with in my early twenties: rigatoni Treviso. In this recipe, I turned it into a baked pasta and swapped coconut cream for the heavy cream. Though sausage is in the title, you can easily make this vegetarian or vegan. If going plant-based route, add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to make up for the sausage and feel free to substitute vegan cheese. Low FODMAP folks, omit the leek or swap it for half a diced fennel bulb. Omit the sausage unless homemade without garlic. There’s a recipe in my book SIBO Made Simple for this. It’s really easy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces gluten-free shells penne or fusilli
  • ½ pound hot Italian sausage casing removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 1 leek halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 large head radicchio or Treviso thinly sliced
  • 1 head endive thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup coconut cream see note
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Sea salt
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella optional
  • 1/3 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs or panko

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente (about 8 minutes, versus the 12 my box called for). Drain in a colander.
  • Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it apart with your spatula into 1-inch chunks. When golden brown all over, remove to a plate.
  • Add the leeks to the pan, along with the olive oil or butter. Sauté over medium heat until translucent, but not browning, 5 minutes. Add the radicchio and endive to the pan. Continue sautéing until the greens are wilted and caramelized but still partially crunchy, 5 more minutes.
  • Off the heat add the wine and coconut cream to the pan and stir around until it forms a creamy sauce. Mix in the stock and lemon juice, and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Carefully fold in the pasta and reserved sausage until everything is well combined.
  • Arrange in an even layer in the skillet, or transfer to a casserole dish. Top with the cheese, if using, and breadcrumbs.
  • Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until browned on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve!