Hooray for quick skillet dinners! This one is so fantastically easy that it kind of feels like cheating. Between the Italian sausage and marinara sauce, the dish has all of the seasoning built in, so you don’t even have to measure out any extra herbs or spices. You’re pretty much just heating it all together and then it’s ready to eat!
You can bulk this recipe out further and probably make about 6 decent sized servings by stirring in some cooked pasta (I’d use 1/2 lb. dry), or by spooning this mixture over a bed of rice. It’s a pretty filling mix of ingredients, so I just skipped both and ate it plain. Not a fan of chickpeas? White beans would probably be pretty awesome in this, too.
Want to try a vegetarian version? I think sautéed eggplant or mushrooms would be a great replacement for the sausage, but you’ll want to add a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning blend to make up for the lost spices. You’ll also need a little olive oil to sauté them in. I really can’t wait to try it with eggplant!
Sausage & Kale Skillet
![Top view of a cooked Kale & Sausage Skillet with a wooden spoon in it](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kale-Sausage-Skillet-above.jpg)
Sausage and Kale Skillet
![](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kale-Sausage-Skillet-above-1.jpg)
Ingredients
- 1/2 19oz. package Italian Sausage ($2.25)
- 1 bunch kale ($0.99)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($1.00)
- 1 cup marinara sauce ($0.88)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($0.90)
Instructions
- Squeeze the sausage from the casings into a large skillet (freeze the remaining links for later use). Cook the sausage over medium heat until fully brown. Break the sausage up into pieces as it cooks. It’s okay if it sticks to the bottom of the skillet a little as it cooks.
- While the sausage is cooking, remove the woody stems from the kale, then slice it crosswise into thin strips. Rinse the kale well, then add it to the skillet. Stir it into the sausage and continue to cook until it is fully wilted (this happens within a few minutes).
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to the skillet and stir to combine. Pour the marinara sauce over the skillet, then top with the shredded cheese. Place a lid on the skillet and let it simmer until the cheese is melted (about 5-10 minutes).
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Nutrition
![Kale & Sausage Skillet with a small portion taken out and placed in bowl](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kale-Sausage-Skillet-duo.jpg)
Step by Step Photos
![Ingredients for dish on counter top](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ingredients1.jpg)
This is all you need for this super quick skillet! I used only half of the sausage (the rest went in the freezer), half of the cheese, and about half of the jar of marinara. I used Lacinato kale (or dinosaur kale) because that’s what I had on hand. You can definitely use curly kale in its place with no modifications.
![Browning Sausage in skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Brown-Sausage.jpg)
Squeeze half of the sausage into a large skillet and cook it over medium heat until fully browned. I didn’t add any extra oil to the skillet because sausage has quite a bit on its own. It’s okay if some of it sticks to the bottom of the skillet, it will dissolve off later.
![Removing stems from kale leaves](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Remove-Stems.jpg)
For most kale, the stem is super tough and woody, so you’ll want to remove them (especially for curly kale). Just take a sharp knife and run it along the stem to cut it out. Then, stack the leaves and cut across into thin strips.
![Chopping Kale with knife](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Chop-Kale.jpg)
This particular bunch of kale had really soft stems, so I didn’t even bother removing them. Stack the leaves and cut across into strips. This will be slightly more difficult with curly kale because it’s so fluffy, but you can still do it. It’s easiest if you cut each leave into two long pieces when removing the stem. After chopping the kale, make sure to rinse it really, really well.
![chopped kale added to cooked sausage in skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Wilt-Kale.jpg)
After the sausage has browned, stir in the kale. Continue to cook and stir until the kale has wilted. This happens pretty fast. It’s okay if the kale is still a little wet from rinsing. The water will turn into steam and help it wilt, plus it will help dissolve the browned bits of sausage off the bottom of the skillet.
![Chickpeas added to skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Chick-Peas.jpg)
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them to the skillet.
![Marinara sauce added to skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Marinara.jpg)
Pour the marinara over top… (you can stir it in, if you want).
![shredded cheese sprinkled over top of dish in skillet and melted](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Melt-Cheese.jpg)
Lastly, sprinkle the shredded cheese over top, cover it with a lid, and let it simmer until the cheese has melted.
![Kale & Sausage Skillet in a bowl with a fork on the side](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Kale-Sausage-Skillet-bowl.jpg)
And now it’s ready to eat! It may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but OMG is it ever flavorful and filling!
A quick and tasty recipe, I had everything on hand and the only change was to add leftover farro. Thanks for sharing.
I feel like this needs to be over rice or something, I’ve loved all the dishes on here but this one was the one I didn’t like sadly.
I make this SO often and freeze it for meal preps. If I do not have sausage, I will use ground beef and just season it well.
You did it again Ms. Beth! Really loved this dish! I can see how versatile this recipe can be and how it can be tweaked to use what I have on hand. I still have more kale and a half jar of marinara. My mind is already thinking about how I’m going to change it up for lunch tomorrow. This will be in my rotation for sure!
I cook only for myself so I made this in a little skillet with one hot italian sausage, half a can of chickpeas and I went ham on the kale. I had enough for a meal and some leftovers for later. Reminds me of my grandma’s spaghetti but a little healthier without the pasta 😄 SO GOOD!!!
This was amazing!! We used plant based sausage. Thanks for sharing!
I put a little of rotini pasta in. Delicious!
This is a great recipe to get more vegetables in. I really enjoy it!