Jenny Pasta
16 ounces cavatappi pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish
2 cups vegan sausage or seitan
1/4 cup marinated sundried tomatoes, sliced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 head garlic, pressed or minced
4-6 cups mustard greens, coarsely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (basil, oregano, and thyme)
1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan sausage, sundried tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Break up the vegan sausage with a wooden spoon. When the vegan sausage starts to brown, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
3. Start adding the mustard greens to the skillet (they will wilt down considerably) and ladle in some of the pasta water. The pasta water will wilt the greens and loosen the bits of vegan sausage off of the skillet.
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add directly to the vegan sausage and greens. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Toss in the fresh herbs and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil.
Source of recipe: This is my own signature pasta. I make it all the time, varying the pasta, green leafy veg and veggie sausage, so it's never boring.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I made a gluten-free version of this pasta tonight, and it was to die for. My boyfriend is celiac but not vegan. His response to this dish? "Wow...wow...woooooow...that's really <expletive> good." I used Bionature organic gluten-free penne rigatoni (the kind made out of rice, potato and soy), which, in case you've never tried it, tastes EXACTLY like wheat-based white pasta. Because I don't know of any vegan sausage that is also gluten-free, I made my own with the help of our old friend Isa Chandra...http://www.theppk.com/2008/10/tempeh-sausage-crumbles/ I crumbled 16 ounces of Wildwood Super Firm tofu instead of 8 ounces of crumbled tempeh. Instead of sun-dried tomatoes, I used whole cherry tomatoes. I used spinach instead of mustard greens and I used fresh basil only (I didn't use fresh oregano or fresh thyme). I've been vegan three years, and Jenny Pasta remains one of my favorites AND has always been my go-to recipe when I want to knock non-vegans on their behind. Works like a charm every time.
This is the best recipe! My omnivore husband requests this every week!
So glad you are enjoying it! While I consider it my signature dish, I make so many variations of it, it hardly remains the same. I've used beet greens, turnip greens, arugula, etc. I love to make it with linguini or fusili or whatever is my new favorite pasta. The meat could be gimme lean, tofurkey, homemade seitan, tofu or tempeh. I will throw in any herbs I have (although I listed my favorites). It's just a base for a very satisfying pasta dish and I hope you pass it on!
I have to review this recipe again (sorry!), because last night I made it with tofu instead of sausage and added a ton of broccoli (in addition to the rest of the ingredients: 8 oz. durum semolina rigatoni, 1/4 cup rehydrated plain sun-dried tomatoes, a container of spinach, big pinch of red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup fresh basil and no oil because I use a nonstick skillet). Gawd it was good! This recipe is just so versatile, healthful and delicious no matter what kind of vegetables you add. YUM!
I made this last night and it turn out amazing! I used mixed baby kale for my greens, gimme lean sausage and broken whole wheat spaghetti- it was so good! This will be a regular for me :)
I've been vegan three years now and have tried many recipes. This remains a favourite, although I've modified it quite a bit. I make half the amount of pasta, omit the oil and use a nonstick skillet, use four Field Roast sausages cut into chunks (I sometimes use a pound of extra firm tofu cut into chunks), add a cup of halved cherry tomatoes instead of sun-dried, use a 5-ounce container of baby spinach and 1/2 cup of fresh basil only (mostly because I can never find fresh oregano or thyme). I don't add water to the skillet at any point either; the water from the tomatoes seems to be enough to wilt the spinach. Yum, yum and yum. Such a simple, healthy and delicious recipe.
I made a double recipe of this amazing pasta for a vegan potluck at work today, and everyone loved it! I can't say enough about how delicious it is. I threw in a bunch of chopped zucchini, used regular sun-dried tomatoes (the dry kind--I rehydrated them in water for about an hour), used spinach instead of mustard greens, added only fresh basil but no thyme or oregano (I couldn't find them) and used Field Roast smoked apple sage sausages. Everyone needs to make this dish! It's truly one of the best I've ever eaten!
I forgot to get 'greens' for this dish but it turned out really good! I'll be making this dish a lot! Thanks for sharing. :)>>>
Yay! Thanks for trying it. My coworkers are always jealous when they smell my leftovers coming out of the micro... I really do make this constantly and use it as a vehicle for eating more dark leafy greens (and because I love pasta). Greens are all so different in terms of bitterness, sweetness, hardiness, etc. I thought I might be going out on a limb submitting the recipe with mustard greens. I used to always make it with baby spinach until money became tight and I started buying the 99 cent greens in bulk (plus I am always on the hunt for never-tried veggies). But I like variety and thought it might expand some taste buds. 8-)
This is absolutely exquisite! I've made it twice now and will probably make it next week again. The first time I made it with mustard greens and learned an important lesson: I hate mustard greens. So I picked them out, but the dish was still so incredibly delicious. I made it again just now and used baby spinach. So SO good. I can't say enough about this stuff. It's one of the best dishes I have ever made, vegan or otherwise. Highly recommended.