Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Pasta Rigatoni with Kale and Sausage 5.0 (1) 1 Review Fennel sausage, tender kale, and mezze rigatoni come together in a glossy white wine sauce with crispy garlic breadcrumbs. By Jon Shook Jon Shook Jon Shook is the chef and co-owner of Los Angeles restaurants Animal, Jon & Vinny's (with chef Vinny Dotolo), Son of a Gun, Helen's, and Petit Trois. A 2009 F&W Best New Chef, Shook won the 2016 James Beard Award for Best Chef: West for his work at meat-centric Animal. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Vinny Dotolo Vinny Dotolo Vinny Dotolo is a Los Angeles–based chef and restaurateur who helped reshape the city’s dining scene. Alongside longtime collaborator Jon Shook, Dotolo rose to prominence with Animal, their influential nose-to-tail restaurant, followed by Son of a Gun and other acclaimed projects. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 27, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe Cooking the kale in garlic oil before briefly steaming it keeps the greens flavorful and tender without diluting the sauce.Deeply browned sausage provides a flavorful foundation for this pasta, and a splash of white wine adds depth.Pasta cooking liquid, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano form a glossy sauce that coats the rigatoni, while garlic breadcrumbs provide a welcome crunchy contrast. Rigatoni is built for a sauce like this: Its sturdy tubes and ridges catch crumbles of fennel sausage, kale, and plenty of glossy sauce. The sausage provides a backbone and sweet anise notes, while crushed red pepper adds gentle heat and lacinato kale brings an earthy bitterness that balances the richness. Browning the sausage undisturbed is key; it develops a caramelized crust and leaves flavorful fond in the skillet that becomes the foundation of the sauce. A generous shower of garlic breadcrumbs is the finishing touch, adding a crisp contrast to the tender rigatoni and sausage. More Parmigiano-Reggiano and a few grinds of black pepper round out a pasta that’s satisfying and layered with just enough heat, bitterness, and crunch. The Best Way to Peel Garlic, According to Chefs What pasta can I use instead of mezze rigatoni? Other sturdy shapes that hold crumbled sausage and sauce work well, like standard rigatoni, orecchiette, ziti, paccheri, or calamarata. Tubes and shapes with curves or ridges are particularly useful here. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Cook the kale just until tender and still bright green; covering the skillet after adding water steams the leaves quickly without overcooking them. Spread the sausage in an even layer, and cook it undisturbed before breaking it into crumbles; this encourages deeper browning and more flavorful fond. Reserve more pasta cooking liquid than you think you’ll need. Add it gradually while tossing with the butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano to help the sauce turn glossy and cling to the pasta. Suggested pairing A lightly herbal, berry-rich Chianti, such as Selvapiana Chianti Rufina, goes well with this savory and well-balanced pasta dinner. This recipe was developed by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo; the text was written by Craig Ruff. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients Garlic Breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 garlic cloves, grated 1 cup panko 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Pasta 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 8 garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 1/2 tablespoons), divided 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 4 packed cups) 1/2 cup water Kosher salt, to taste 1 pound mezze rigatoni pasta 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 1/2 pounds fennel sausage (about 4 links) or Italian sausage, casings removed 1/2 cup (4 ounces) dry white wine 3/4 cup chicken stock 3 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3/4 cup), divided Fennel pollen (optional) and black pepper, for garnish Directions Make the garlic breadcrumbs: Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium until butter is melted. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in panko and salt; cook, stirring often, until panko is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in oregano and garlic powder. Transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Make the pasta: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium. Add half the chopped garlic (about 3 3/4 teaspoons) and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add kale; toss to coat. Add 1/2 cup water; cover and cook, undisturbed, until kale is tender but still bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Transfer kale to a medium bowl, and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid. While pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons butter and remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high in skillet. Add sausage to pan in a single layer; cook, undisturbed, until sausage is browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, breaking up sausage into small crumbles using a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add remaining chopped garlic (about 3 3/4 teaspoons) and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine; cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Simmer until stock is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in reserved kale until combined. Add drained pasta and remaining 1/4 cup butter to skillet, and heat over medium; toss until butter melts, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed to form a glossy sauce. Remove pan from heat; gradually stir in 1/2 cup grated cheese, tossing constantly until sauce clings to pasta. Top with reserved garlic breadcrumbs, remaining 1/4 cup cheese, fennel pollen (if using), and black pepper. Serve immediately. Make ahead The garlic breadcrumbs can be made up to three days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.