Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage and Swiss Chard
Last Saturday we got a large bunch of Swiss Chard in our CSA box. We do like chard but I'm always looking for new ways to use it. I had saved this recipe that I found in a Willy Street Co-op newsletter. This might be a good recipe for people who are not big fans of Swiss Chard. It sort of blends in with the sauce.
Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch chard, stems and leaves chopped separately
1# Italian sausage, either bulk or sliced if you have links
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes (diced would also work fine)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional--I used them)
Salt and pepper
a little sugar or honey
Brown sausage in a large pot. Remove sausage and drain any fat left in the pan. Coat the pan lightly with olive oil and add carrots, celery, and onions as you get them prepped. Saute for 5 minutes or so and add the chard stems. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Put the sausage back into the pot and add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and fennel seeds. Add some water if the sauce seems too thick. I probably added 1-2 cups. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and cook for about 30 minutes, partially covered, until the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the chard leaves. I like them chopped into small pieces so that the chard will blend into the sauce and you won''t have any stringy greens. Cook until just wilted. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce tastes too acidic add a spoonful of honey or a pinch or two of sugar.
Serve the sauce over your choice of pasta. I used whole grain rotini.
Some notes: This is good place to use the onion chopper that I mentioned earlier or your food processor so that you don't spend too long chopping the veggies.
I used link Italian sausage from Jordandal Farms, a local Madison producer. It is very lean and tasty.
Adapted from Culinate.com
Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch chard, stems and leaves chopped separately
1# Italian sausage, either bulk or sliced if you have links
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes (diced would also work fine)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional--I used them)
Salt and pepper
a little sugar or honey
Brown sausage in a large pot. Remove sausage and drain any fat left in the pan. Coat the pan lightly with olive oil and add carrots, celery, and onions as you get them prepped. Saute for 5 minutes or so and add the chard stems. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Put the sausage back into the pot and add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and fennel seeds. Add some water if the sauce seems too thick. I probably added 1-2 cups. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and cook for about 30 minutes, partially covered, until the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the chard leaves. I like them chopped into small pieces so that the chard will blend into the sauce and you won''t have any stringy greens. Cook until just wilted. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce tastes too acidic add a spoonful of honey or a pinch or two of sugar.
Serve the sauce over your choice of pasta. I used whole grain rotini.
Some notes: This is good place to use the onion chopper that I mentioned earlier or your food processor so that you don't spend too long chopping the veggies.
I used link Italian sausage from Jordandal Farms, a local Madison producer. It is very lean and tasty.
Adapted from Culinate.com
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