Linguine In Tomato Sauce with Chicken Sausage, Blistered Tomatoes, Kale, and Mozzarella Pearls
I made a “clean your fridge out” dinner last night. I found some kale, onion, mozzarella pearls, and chicken sausage links in the refrigerator and grabbed some leftover linguine, a can of tomatoes, garlic, and grape tomatoes from the pantry, and threw them all together. I loved the flavor of the garlicky tomato sauce with the tasty pieces of chicken sausage, sweetened blistered cherry tomatoes, and the creamy mozzarella pearls. I served this pasta with the Gourmet Salad and it turned out to be a terrific meal that we all enjoyed. I had some of the leftover pasta today for lunch and it was delicious.
How to Make Linguine In Tomato Sauce with Chicken Sausage, Blistered Tomatoes, Kale, and Mozzarella Pearls
Blend the can of whole tomatoes with a blender or an immersion blender. Set aside.
Heat a small Dutch oven that’s coated in cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage links and cook until all sides are golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and place on a cutting board with a tin foil tent. Add a teaspoon of olive oil in the same Dutch oven then add the grape tomato halves. Cook, flipping the tomatoes halfway through cooking, for about 2-3 minutes or until blistered. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan then add the onion; cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic, crushed fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the blended tomatoes then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste and a pinch of sugar if desired. Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes. Slice the sausages into bite-sized chunks then add them along with the kale to the tomato sauce.
Prepare the linguine in salted water per package instructions. Drain then add to the tomato sauce. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Toss in the mozzarella pearls and the blistered grape tomatoes then serve immediately. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 4 links of chicken and roasted pepper sausage links
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 ½ cups of grape tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
- ½ sweet yellow onion diced finely
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tsp fennel seeds crushed
- 1-2 pinches of crushed red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you would like it
- 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes blended
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- Pinch of sugar if desired
- 2 cups of fresh kale chopped
- 8 oz of linguine cooked per instructions
- Mozzarella pearls to taste
Instructions
- Blend the can of whole tomatoes with a blender or an immersion blender. Set aside.
- Heat a small Dutch oven that's coated in cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage links and cook until all sides are golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and place on a cutting board with a tin foil tent.
- Add a teaspoon of olive oil in the same Dutch oven then add the grape tomato halves. Cook, flipping the tomatoes halfway through cooking, for about 2-3 minutes or until blistered. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan then add the onion; cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic, crushed fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Add the blended tomatoes then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste and a pinch of sugar if desired. Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes.
- Slice the sausages into bite-sized chunks then add them along with the kale to the tomato sauce.
- Prepare the linguine in salted water per package instructions. Drain then add the pasta to the tomato sauce. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed.
- Toss in the mozzarella pearls and the blistered grape tomatoes then serve immediately. Enjoy.
Love this Pam, I love these mozarella pearls LOL
Your posts always make me so hungry at night, even after I just ate dinner! This looks delicious.
I can’t believe this is a clean-out fridge meal! This looks absolutely delicious Pam. 🙂 Great post!
I love clean out your fridge dinners… you can usually come up with something incredibly good…. as you did here!! YUM!! Would love a big bowl of that right now!!
I do this all of the time when making pasta! Love how you added the kale in this!
Looks delicious Pam and pretty healthy as well
Looks so good!! My family, specially my doughter, loves one-bowl pasta dishes such as this.
I wish my fridge insides had such awesome ingredients! Right now we just have a head of cabbage and leftover going bad cilantro. Sigh.
I love “clean out the fridge” meals like this one. You have better stuff in your fridge than I do.
You definitely have better stuff in your fridge, but I know that I am going to have some of this in my fridge very soon. I think I will try ground turkey with it since I have that in my fridge 🙂
I love pasta and this dish looks gorgeous!
I’m sure the combination with chicken sausage and Mozarella pearls adds a perfect flavor:)
When a “clean out the fridge” meal goes so well, you just have to be pleased. It looks hearty and delicious!
This looks so much better than what I eat when I clean out the fridge.
This sounds fabulous! I love the sausage with the pasta.
Your clean-out-fridge pasta looks hearty and wonderfully delicious, Pam.
I love clean-out-the-fridge recipes! And those mozzarella pearls? GENIUS!
Love the kale and mozzarella combination. Now that is good!