Stelline and Kale Stew

Stelline and Kale Stew

1 cup of Stelline pasta (or any small pasta you prefer)
2 carrots diced 
1 onion diced 
1 celery rib diced 
2-3 cloves of diced garlic 
2-3 sweet Italian sausages, casing removed and crumbled.  
2 cups chicken broth or stock 
1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce 
Salt and pepper 
3-4 leaves of Lacinato Kale, ribs removed and cut into bit size pieces  
 
Parmesan for topping 
Crusty Bread for dipping 
 
First, on medium heat crumble your Italian sausage in your pot. Cook your sausage about halfway through and remove excess fat from pan.  
 
At this point, add your onions, celery, and carrots. Toss your veggies and sausage together and cook for about five minutes. Then add your garlic to the pot and cook for another minute.
 
Add in 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of marinara.   
Once this comes to a boil, turn the heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally.
 
Let this cook for about 10 minutes to continue softening your vegetables. Add additional broth if needed. This will also give time for your sausage to continue cooking, releasing all of those incredible Italian seasonings.  
 
If your stew becomes too thick, add a cup of broth to loosen it up.  It depends on your preference at this point.  I did add the second cup in my broth.  
 
Always taste as you go. You can add salt and pepper to your liking at this point.  
 
Add your kale and combine.  We let ours cook for about 1-2 minutes.   It will become a beautiful bright green in your stew.  
 
Allow your stew to stay on low and rest at this point.  
 
Stelline pasta only takes a few minutes to cook, so I chose to do this while my stew is low.   
 
Cook one cup of pasta per the directions on the box.   I always reserve one cup of pasta to thicken my soup or stews.  
 
Drain the pasta and add to your stew.   Fold in to combine.  
 
I added freshly grated Parmesan to ours with a piece of crusty Bread.  
 
Enjoy!