Collard Greens Pasta Recipe with Sausage

Our collard greens pasta recipe features hearty rigatoni pasta combined with vibrant greens and savory sausage for a deliciously satisfying meal. We share some excellent Italian wine pairing options along with the recipe.

Jump to:

• Recipe inspiration
• Ingredients
• More information on collard greens
• Recipe tips and overview
• Wine pairing
• Recipe card
• More articles about Umbria

Recipe inspiration

I originally published this recipe as Rigatoni with Collard Greens and Sausage as part of the Italian Food, Wine and Travel groups’s virtual visit to the Italian region of Umbria.

I read that pork is popular in Umbria, including sausages, so I figured it was time to make another sausage and pasta dish. I like the way sausage goes along with greens, so I guess you could say this is a bit of a Southern inspired Italian dish.

 I originally used sweet Italian sausages in this dish, and also added some olives, which are also popular in Umbria.

I have since made this collard green pasta with chicken sausage, making it even more of a healthy greens pasta recipe.

Ingredients

Here are some notes on the key ingredients for making this pasta with collard greens.

Pasta: I like to use rigatoni, the short, thick tubular pasta. You could use other short pasta shapes here like ziti, elbows or farfalle.

Sausage: I originally made this collard greens pasta recipe with sweet Italian sausage. I have also made the dish with andouille chicken sausage, and both were tasty. I would say use whichever you prefer or have on hand.

Collard greens are of course, an important ingredient here. But you could try other hearty greens, such as kale. I cover more about collard greens below.

Colored bell pepper: You can use red, yellow or orange bell pepper for this recipe.

Red pepper flakes: Although this collard green pasta recipe calls for a small quantity of red pepper flakes, they help pack a nice flavor punch to the dish. Because one generally uses a small quantity of dried red pepper, this is a spice where I like to go for a high quality version. Lately I’ve been going with these Sicilian chile flakes from Curio, a great local to us spice shop.

More information on collard greens

Collard greens are a central ingredient to this dish, so let’s pause to get you a bit more info on them.

Nutritional value

Collard greens are loaded with nutrients. Here’s a quick summary of some of the major benefits:

• Rich in Vitamins: collard greens provide an xcellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, which can support immune function, vision, and bone health.
• High in Fiber: these greens contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which promotes digestive health and may help to manage cholesterol levels.
• Antioxidant Properties: Collards are packed with antioxidants that combat free radicals, potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. (see this National Cancer Institute article for more on this benefit)

This Web MD article has more general information on the nutritional value of collard greens.

How to prepare collard greens?

Some folks haven’t warmed up to them yet, but the key is cooking them long enough via a braising method. Slowly cooking collard greens in a liquid such as stock or cooking wine breaks down and softens the tough greens, and adds flavor.

When preparing collard greens, slice around the thick middle stem, and set that stem aside for making stock or compost. Coarsely chop the remaining leaves.

And cooking cooking collard greens with something tasty like sausage or bacon helps!

More collard green recipes

If you like this recipe for collard greens, you will want to try some more!

Recipe tips and overview

Here’s an overview of how to make our pasta with collard greens recipe. Head on down to the recipe card for all the details!

Brown the sausage – spray a skillet with oil spray and heat on medium high. Brown the sausages for 5 minutes or so, turning occasionally, until they are brown on both sides. Remove sausages to a plate and slice when cooled. Set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet, along with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Sauté for a few minutes, then stir in the bell peppers. Add the garlic, cook for another minute or so. This is a good time to start boiling the water for the pasta.

Gradually add the collard greens to the skillet. Doing it in a few batches helps it all fit.

Stir in the first batch of collards, as they start cooking down there will be room to add more.

Once all of the collard greens have been added, add the broth, red pepper flakes and salt to salt. Cover to simmer for about 10 minutes on medium low.

Add the sausage to the skillet, along with the balsamic vinegar, stirring to combine.

After stirring in the sausages, cover the skillet and simmer on medium low for another 10 minutes.

Add the pasta to cook according to package instructions if you haven’t done that yet. Keep the collard and sausage mixture warm while the pasta cooks.

Drain the pasta and toss immediately with the sausage and collard green mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and olives, stirring to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Wine pairing

Below are two good Italian red wine pairings we have served with this collard greens pasta.

Original pairing from Umbria

For the original pairing, when we were focused on Umbria, I decided to go with a wine from Perticaia. I had enjoyed several different bottles from them previously. They are based in Montefalco, which sounds like a gorgeous place, perched high in the Colli Martani with a great view of the surrounding countryside.

I was making the Rigatoni with Collard Greens and Sausage midweek, so I decided to go with on of the wineries entry level bottles, the 2013 Perticaia Umbria Rosso ($14, 13% ABV). The wine is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino and 10% Merlot.

I get fresh berry on the nose. Fruit forward taste, with a bit of duskiness on the back. Softens nicely in the glass, and goes very well with the sausage in the pasta dish. At this price, this food-friendly wine is a great candidate for everyday drinking with a simple weekday pasta meal!

A Frappato pairing

For a recent remake of this hearty pasta recipe, I decided to open a Frappato from Sicilian. I had developed an appreciation for this food friendly wine when researching for this Sicilian wine grapes article.

The 2021 Centonze Frappato ($20, 13% ABV) has an earthy nose. This is a light red wine with bright bing cherry fruit, and some charcoal notes. This Frappato is an excellent choice to pair with the collard green pasta – it complements the spiciness of the sausage nicely. I recommend serving this red wine with a slight chill.

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Recipe card

Italian Food Wine & Travel Posts on Umbria

More articles about Umbria

Here are the articles from my Italian Food, Wine & Travel colleagues inspired by the Italian region of Umbria.
Vino Travels: Immersion in Umbrian wine with Sagrantino
The Palladian Traveler – Marcello’s Big Fat Italian Christening
Food Wine Click – Orange is the New Red: Paolo Bea Santa Chiara & Umbrian Steak
Orna O’Reilly –  Castelluccio di Norcia: On the Rooftop of the Apennines
Culinary Adventures with Camilla – Roasted Flank Steak with Zucchini Mint Pesto with an Umbrian Merlot
Italophilia – Visiting Assisi in the Enchanting Umbrian Hills
Rockin Red Blog – Beauty and the Beast
Enofylz Wine Blog – Umbria’s Sagrantino: Call It a Comeback
The Wining Hour – Taste Umbria – Black Truffle Linguini with Shrimp & Montefalco Sagrantino
Cooking Chat – Rigatoni with Collard Greens & Sausage with Wine from Umbria
Flavourful Tuscany – Umbrian Cuisine and Fun facts