Time for another brand spankin’new recipe: Italian Sausage + Kale Casserole! This Whole30-friendly weeknight supper is a family favorite. This comforting casserole is a cinch to throw together, and my boys love it because the flavors remind them of pizza. Plus, I always have plenty of time to throw together a big green salad while my Italian Sausage + Kale Casserole bakes in the oven.
By the way, you should feel free to mix up the greens to use up whatever you have lying around in the fridge—but if you’re following a Whole30, make sure to use compliant Italian sausage and marinara sauce.
This Italian Sausage + Kale Casserole is perfect to eat now or to make-ahead for packed meals. Simply slice it up and toss it in the fridge for the coming week’s pack-and-go lunches!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2½ tablespoons ghee, avocado oil, olive oil, or your favorite cooking fat, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrots, diced
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (or my Magic Mushroom Powder)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 pound lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup store-bought marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 large eggs, whisked
- ¼ cup Paleo-friendly pesto (like my Arugula Pesto) (optional)
Equipment:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet
- Silicone spatula
- Large bowl
- 13 by 9-inch casserole dish
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking fat to the pan when it’s hot.
Grease a 9 x 13 casserole pan with the remaining ½ tablespoon of fat.
Toss the onions, carrots, and mushrooms into the skillet.
Cook until the moisture has evaporated from the mushrooms and the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Season with about 1 teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt) and a sprinkle of pepper. Stir to incorporate.
Transfer to the greased baking pan.
Decrease the heat to medium, and add the sausage to the now-empty skillet. Break up the meat with a spatula.
Cook, over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s no longer pink.
Add the kale and stir to combine. Sauté until the greens are wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Pour in the marinara sauce and add the oregano.
Season to taste with another ½ teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder or with salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate.
Transfer the sausage mixture to the ingredients in the casserole pan.
Pour in the whisked eggs to the casserole pan and stir to combine.
Smooth the top of the casserole with a spatula. (Optional: dollop spoonfuls of Paleo-friendly pesto on top before baking.)
Put the casserole in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are set and browned on the edges.
Rest the casserole for 5-10 minutes, and then slice and serve. Extras can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2018 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!
And remember: Throughout January 2018, I’m partnering with Whole Foods Market nationwide! In all Whole Foods Market stores, you’ll find my personally curated Nom Nom Paleo Picks on the shelves, a rotating menu of ready-to-eat Nom Nom Paleo dishes in the hot bar, and even my famous Magic Mushroom Powder available for sale!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Italian Sausage + Kale Casserole
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 6 servings
Italian Sausage + Kale Casserole is a Whole30-friendly, comforting supper that will please the whole family! Eat it now, or slice it up and toss it in the fridge for the coming week’s pack-and-go lunches!
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons ghee, avocado oil, olive oil, or your favorite cooking fat, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrots, diced
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (or my Magic Mushroom Powder)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 pound lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup store-bought marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 large eggs, whisked
- ¼ cup Paleo-friendly pesto (like my Arugula Pesto) (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking fat to the pan when it’s hot.
- Grease a 9 x 13 casserole pan with the remaining ½ tablespoon of fat.
- Toss the onions, carrots, and mushrooms into the skillet. Cook until the moisture has evaporated from the mushrooms and the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Season the veggies with about 1 teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt) and a sprinkle of pepper. Stir to incorporate and then transfer to the greased baking pan.
- Decrease the heat to medium, and add the sausage to the now-empty skillet. Break up the meat with a spatula. Cook, over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s no longer pink.
- Add the kale and stir to combine. Sauté until the greens are wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Pour in the marinara sauce and add the oregano. Season to taste with another ½ teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder or with salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to the ingredients in the casserole pan.
- Pour in the whisked eggs to the casserole pan and stir to combine. Smooth the top of the casserole with a spatula. (Optional: dollop spoonfuls of Paleo-friendly pesto on top before baking.)
- Put the casserole in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are set and browned on the edges.
- Rest the casserole for 5-10 minutes, and then slice and serve. Extras can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
Notes
A tasty variation: Dollop on spoonfuls of pesto (e.g. Arugula Pesto) onto the top before baking!
Courses Dinner
Cuisine Italian, Paleo, Whole30, Primal, Gluten-free, Weeknight, Make Ahead
