Pasta with Healthy(er) Meatballs, Kale, Cannellini Beans and Tomato Jus

This is a yummy way to get kale into your family. I actually used collard greens, because I love them, but any dark, leafy green would work in this recipe. The meatballs are delish-- if you don't want to use ground turkey or sausage meat, use whichever minced meat you like with the same accompanying ingredients. And last, the tomato jus: So light and tasty-- perfect for this time of year.

Meatballs
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 medium leek, light green and white part only, washed well, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, peeled, minced or pressed
1 pound/425 grams ground (minced) turkey or chicken
1 pound/425 grams sausage meat
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (homemade is better, or use crumbs of your choice)
3 tablespoons good quality, grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (I like salt and used 1/2 t)

1) Heat the butter in a saute pan and saute the leeks and garlic until just soft ('sweat' them). Now, squish everything together with your hands in a large bowl, cover and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.

2) When ready to cook: Roll into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Using a heavy saute pan (I like cast iron), pre heat the pan over medium heat, then place the balls in the dry pan (this is if you used good 'ol fatty sausage meat in the mix-- if you used a leaner meat, oil up the bottom of the pan). The pan can be full, but the meatballs should not touch. Saute, browning the outside until all the meatballs are golden/brown, then cover and allow to steam in their own juices for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat, shake the pan occasionally and make sure that the pan stays moist-- otherwise add in a bit of water). Remove the lid at the end to crisp up the meatballs. Makes about 48 meatballs-- more than you will need for this recipe. Enough to serve 8-12 people. Can easily be halved.

Pasta Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped kale, collards, chard or spinach
Sea or kosher salt
1/2 cup No Cook Tomato Sauce (or good quality, thick store-bought)
1/2 cup good quality chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegan sauce)
1 regular size tin of cannellini beans, drained/rinsed

1) Heat the oil over mediu-high heat then add in the greens and saute until wilting, turn the heat down, season with salt and allow to cook until getting soft (for heartier greens, like kale and collards, this takes about 5 minutes-- for spinach this happens instantly).

2) Add in the tomato sauce, broth and beans, stir well and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Cook 12 ounces of pasta until al dente. Toss with the sauce and snuggle in the meatballs. Serve with copious amounts of grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 adults or 4 little kids and 2 adults.

Migas

This recipe comes from Portugal. It seems like many Portuguese recipes utilize kale (Portuguese kale soup being one of my favorites). Migas is so simple and so healthy and it happens to also be a vegan recipe. I served this last night as a side dish to go with grilled salmon, and then had it alone, reheated for lunch today.


1 cup black-eyed peas
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
A good shake of red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (toast pieces of bread then crunch them up with your hands)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and tender light green part only, chopped small
1 bunch kale, washed and chopped into bite size pieces

1) Soak the black-eyed peas and cook as you like (alternatively you can use canned)-- have them tender and ready to go.

2) Pour the olive oil into a very large non-stick sauté pan. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes then the bread crumbs and sauté, turning and stirring constantly until golden. Season with salt. Remove from the pan and keep on a plate.

3) Wipe out the pan, then place back over medium-high heat and pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil, allow it to heat up then add in the leeks and kale. Season with salt and sauté, until the kale has wilted and softened but is still deep green. Add in the prepared black eyed peas, stir. Taste and season again with salt and pepper if desired. Now remove from the pan and toss with the breadcrumbs. Serve hot or warm.

Serves 4-6 side dish portions

Portuguese Kale Soup

This was one of my favorite soups growing up summers on Cape Cod. The New England area, especially Connecticut has many people of Portuguese decent-- and what wonderful recipes they infuse into the New England diet. Like most soups, this one tastes better a few days after making it.

8 oz (220 grams) dried red kidney beans
1 pound linguiça or chorizo sausage, cut into small chunks
1 pound fresh kale, trimmed of stalks and cut into small pieces
1 large yellow onion, peeled and minced
1 celery root, tough outer bit sliced off, inside cut into 4 large pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded, trimmed and cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin tomato puree
5 beef bullion cubes
3 large potatoes cut into small cubes
½ teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon dried thyme

1) Soak the beans over night-- if you don’t have time for that, do this: Place the dried beans into a pot and cover by three inches with cold water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, then, keeping covered, remove from the heat and allow to steep in the hot water for an hour, until soft. If you’ve absolutely no time, just use 2 cans kidney beans at the end of cooking the soup-- but this is not preferable.

2) In a huge soup pot (at least 8 quarts), sauté the sausage until it releases most of the fat. Drain the sausage on paper towels and wipe out the pot.

3) Put all the ingredients back (including soaked and soft beans) into the pot and cover (to the top of the pot) with water. Cover and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for several hours. Remove 4 pieces of celery root and discard. Taste to adjust seasoning for spice and salt.

Serves… a lot-- maybe 10 or more depending on portion size