Name: Stuffed sausage pasta bake
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 50g kale woody stems discarded, and roughly chopped; 150g (about 18-20) giant pasta shells; 1 tbsp olive oil; 200g herby pork sausages skinned; 1 clove garlic sliced; ½ tsp fennel seeds; a pinch dried chilli flakes; 100g ricotta; 300g jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce; finely grated to make 1 tbsp parmesan; to serve salad

50g kale
woody stems discarded, and roughly chopped
150g (about 18-20) giant pasta shells
1 tbsp olive oil
200g herby pork sausages
skinned
1 clove garlic
sliced
½ tsp fennel seeds
a pinch dried chilli flakes
100g ricotta
300g jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce
finely grated to make 1 tbsp parmesan
to serve salad

Method

step 1
Heat a large pan of salted water until simmering. Cook the kale for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Scoop out into a colander with a slotted spoon. Cook the pasta shells in the same water until just tender, then drain.
step 2
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan then add the sausages, pinching them into small chunks. Fry, breaking up the sausage into smaller pieces as you go, until golden. Add the garlic, fennel and chilli flakes, and fry for another minute. Stir in the ricotta and kale with a splash of just-boiled water from the kettle to make a very thick, creamy mixture.
step 3
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 20cm x 30cm ovenproof dish. Fill the shells with heaped teaspoons of the sausage mixture, then push down into the sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then take off the foil, sprinkle with parmesan and cook for another 20-25 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Serve with salad, if you like.