Harvest Mac & Cheese with Sausage and Kale
on Oct 29, 2020, Updated May 14, 2024
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Remember just two days ago when I shared the Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce recipe? Well I hope you have some in your fridge now because this Harvest Mac & Cheese features it in a creamy cheesy sauce that you mix with sausage and kale! I originally thought on this recipe a few weeks ago but used regular cheese, regular pasta and the Trader Joe’s version of this pasta sauce. Of course it was incredible and I highly recommend if you can have gluten and dairy, but I knew I could make this cleaner with a few swaps! Once I made the pasta sauce dupe, the rest was easy. Now I am not gluten free but I use brown rice pasta all the time. It tastes delicious and is a bit less processed than regular pasta so it’s a win for me! If you are dairy free, the key is to find a dairy free shredded cheese you really love. There are a lot on the market now which is awesome, but they are not all good!! I think Daiya and Violife are the best ones but if you have tried another you love, let me know in the comments.
This dish makes me so happy because it’s the perfect easy weeknight dish and between the kale and the sauce, it has a lot of good veggies in it! Also could be an epic dinner for halloween night this weekend, or a great way to kick off November. Get your mac & cheese on!
If you love this Mac & Cheese recipe we have a bunch more pasta recipes for you to try:
One-Pot Creamy Pesto Pasta & Veggies
Cashew Coconut Crusted Salmon over Creamy Curry Pasta
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Harvest Mac & Cheese with Sausage and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 lb brown rice pasta*
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 1 ½ cups autumnal harvest pasta sauce*
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder + 1 tbsp water
- 2 cups dairy free cheddar cheese shreds*
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions then drain and set aside in a bowl.Â
- As the pasta cooks, place a large skillet (12 inches) over medium heat.
- Add in pork sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add kale to the skillet, toss to combine and cook for another minute. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Remove the sausage and kale mixture from the skillet and add it to the bowl with the cooked pasta but leave the skillet over medium heat.
- In a bowl or pyrex measuring cup combine 1 ½ cups of autumnal harvest pasta sauce and 1 cup of water and mix to combine.Â
- Pour that mixture into the still hot skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Add in the arrowroot + water mixture and stir with a whisk quickly to combine and thicken the sauce. Then quickly add in the cheese and stir to combine and melt.
- Once the cheese has melted, let the mixture simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Add the pasta, sausage and kale mixture into the sauce and toss to combine. Season the dish with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Any pasta works for this!
- Dairy free shredded cheese I recommend: Daiya or Violife
- You can also use regular shredded cheddar cheese if not dairy free
- For the pasta sauce, if you aren't dairy free you can also use the trader joe's version if you don't want to make it yourself.
This was fantastic! I made the sauce ahead of time, so it came together quickly! For the sauce, I subbed Kabocha Squash because it’s low fodmap for me, other than that I followed it to a tee and it was so delicious!! Even my VERY picky 8 year old said “this is a make-again”!! My teens loved it, hubby too…so much so they had the leftovers for breakfast this morning lol
That is amazing to hear!!
This recipe is delicious! Even my pickey Father liked it! The sauce is fabulous and will use some of it for soup. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Great to hear!
I made this last night and it was soooo good! I love that it has “hidden veggies” in the sauce too! I just used regular cheese and doubled the amount of kale and it turned out perfectly.
Sounds great!! Thanks!!
This was a total winner! From adults to the picky teens and pre-teens, everyone loved it. The sauce is perfectly balanced!
Yay! A fan fave over here too!
This was an excellent recipe! Made for a quick, easy weeknight dinner. I ended up using a whole jar of the TJ’s autumn harvest soup, I didn’t add water as it’s already thinner than the sauce. It worked perfectly! I followed the recipe exactly otherwise and it turned out soooo good! Definitely will make this one again!Â
This is such a great idea!