Pasta with Dandelion Greens
Get into the pleasantly bitter taste of super-healthy dandelion greens with weeknight-quick Pasta with Dandelion Greens.
Servings 3 or so
Ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine (we used saffron—see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage, sweet or spicy
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- one shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch dandelion greens, washed and torn into 2-inch pieces (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup cream or half and half
- 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated plus more for serving
- salt, if needed
Instructions
- Start a pot of salted water for the pasta.
- Sauté the sausage in a large heavy nonstick pan, breaking it into small chunks with the spatula. When the sausage is cooked and beginning to brown, remove it from the pan and reserve in a little bowl. Wipe out the pan, then add the olive oil.
- Add the minced shallots and garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Then add in the dandelion greens and cook, stirring, over low heat, until they are soft and wilted—3 or 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Before you drain the pasta, ladle out a half cup of the cooking water and reserve it. Drain the cooked pasta and rinse it with hot water.
- Return the sausage to the pan with the greens and stir together. Turn off the heat.
- Ladle the half cup of the cooking water into the beaten egg and whisk it all together. Whisk in the half and half. Add the pasta to the cooking pan, stir everything, and then add in the egg-water-cream mixture. Toss everything together. Scatter on the grated Parmesan, give everything a final stir. Taste and season with salt, if needed. And that’s it. You’re done. Serve in soup plates, offering extra Parmesan for those, like me, who love cheese.
Kitchen Notes
The pasta. We used an artisan saffron linguine which we bought at a farmer’s market. The package is not labeled and, golly, we can’t remember the name of the maker. For this recipe, you can use any linear pasta you prefer. The saffron kind is nice, but not essential.
The protein. Instead of sausage, you can substitute chicken or ground lamb or omit animal protein entirely.
Buying dandelion greens. They are typically sold in bound bunches; we didn’t note the weight so can’t give you that. Look for dandelion greens which are dark green, smooth and lively looking. To prepare them, wash in cool water, pat dry, and cut or tear off the bottom, stiff part—which is mostly white stem. What to do with the other half of the bunch of greens? Sauté them with olive oil and a bit of garlic, or chop them and add to a tomato-based pasta sauce, or whirl them up in a smoothie with a banana, an apple, and some mango.