This hearty penne pasta recipe is filled with comforting flavors! Sausage, white beans, and Swiss chard combine textures and flavors!
This hearty penne pasta is everything you want in a dinner recipe! It's filled with comforting, simple ingredients, that blend together in a big bowl of comfort food.
The combination of beans, pasta, sausage, and greens (in this case, Swiss chard) is a classic for a reason.
Ingredients.
This recipe is so customizable. The four main ingredients: sausage, pasta, greens, and beans - can be changed easily.
- Italian sausage - though I used Italian sausage, chicken or turkey sausage would also work. You can omit the sausage all altogether and make this a meatless meal, though you might want to increase the beans if you do that.
- Pasta - I used penne. Rigatoni would work. Any thicker short pasta works great in the recipe.
- Greens - I used Swiss chard. Spinach, kale, mustard greens are all possibilities. If you're using tougher greens, you might want to add them when you add the tomatoes to let them simmer longer.
- Beans - white beans are more traditional in this kind of recipe. Cannellini, great northern, chickpeas, or navy beans are all good choices. Red kidney beans are also an option.
This here is comfort food at it's finest! You could serve this with a salad, but you don't even have to! A nice big chunk of bread and you are good to go.
As I said before this classic pasta with beans and greens, usually white beans, is such an easy dinner that you can truly use whatever you have on hand. For this version, I used chickpeas. Not traditional, but they worked great!
I found the basic formula for this recipe from Sara Foster in her Casual Cooking Cookbook. She used rigatoni, cannellini beans, and Swiss Chard. I used penne pasta and chickpeas for this version. That is truly the beauty of this recipe!
More easy pasta recipes.
Recipe.
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Hearty Penne with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage casings removed
- 28 ounce canned diced tomatoes with their juice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- kosher salt
- 8 ounces penne
- 1 bunch Swiss Chard washed, drained, and coarsely chopped
- 12 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the sausage and brown for about 5 minutes, breaking up the clumps. Drain the grease from the pan and add the tomatoes with their juice and the chicken broth. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While that is simmering, cook the pasta per package directions. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining the rigatoni.
- Add the penne to the skillet. Add the chard, basil, oregano, beans, and some of the reserved water - enough to make the pasta slippery. Cook for about 3-4 minutes allowing the flavors to blend and the beans to warm up. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
This was originally published in 2015 and has been updated for 2024.
Jessica says
This is a bowl of pure comfort food! Tons of flavor and color. I love it.
Marjory says
It's so easy to love this recipe. Lots of flavor and so easy to make too! I haven't used much Swiss Chard, but will be using it in this. Thanks for the recipe.
nibbles by nic says
Rustic and authentic….loving the swiss chard paired with sausage and white beans. You've totally got me craving this stunner!!
amanda @ fake ginger says
Oooh, I definitely need to check out that cookbook. This looks delicious! I loooooove pasta with sausage and beans!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
Sausage pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods Pam! You just upped it a notch with the wholesome kale and beans!
Melissa Machowski says
The swiss chard is such a clever ingredient to use in this! And it is a really pretty dish of food. I'll have to make my rustic beer bread to go with it.
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
I just made an orecchiette with black eyed peas--very similar concept here, I'd think. I love mixing the beans with the pasta. Such a great combo in terms of flavors and textures. This looks delicious!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Looks delicious and hearty! It is nice seeing you support your favourite chef and getting her name out there!
Bonnie says
Thanks for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty this week.
~Bonnie
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
Oh, this looks so delicious! I love the rustic look of this dish, and I bet it smells out of this world. Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We'd love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Susan@LunaCafe says
Peasant food--with unpretentious, big, bold flavor? Love it. 🙂
Ann says
That's exactly the kind of dish I like best. Hearty, pasta, ragu, simple. I will be saving this one. Thanks Pam.
Pam Greer says
Me too.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Looks utterly delicious.
Pam Greer says
Thank you!
Kirsten says
Pam,
I get loads of Swiss chard from our farm share and I'm always looking for new ways to get it into the family. This looks like a great one. Thanks!
Pam Greer says
I know, I am also always looking for things to do with chard.
Melynda@OurSundayCafe says
Sharing this! I can't wait to make it, thank you.
Pam Greer says
Let me know what you think.
Joanne says
This is definitely a big bowl of pasta comfort!