Sausage and Kale Dinner Tart

By • March 11, 2011 • 121 Comments


Author Notes: This is the single most soul satisfying tart I have ever made. Sausage and kale both are iconic winter fare. They dominate this tart with only minor distractions from sauteed onion, garlic, and the slightest addition of ricotta cheese. Served atop the flaky butter crust, this is a winter meal to celebrate. - My Pantry Shelf My Pantry Shelf

Food52 Review: Here's how you impress dinner guests without chipping away at your bank account. My Pantry Shelf's tart coaxes luxury out of spare ingredients and bends readily to adaptation, depending on what looks good at the market and what you have on hand. A flaky pastry base and judicious amounts of ricotta, white wine, and fresh basil go a long way in dressing up the rustic kale and sausage filling. With this beauty, you've got yourself a dinner party -- all that's left is a big green salad and plenty of wine. - A&MA&M

Serves 6

Tart Shell

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons ice water
  1. Cut the butter into small cubes.
  2. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until butter is pea-sized.
  3. Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.
  4. Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc.
  5. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.
  7. Place disc on a lightly floured board.
  8. Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.
  9. Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.
  10. Dock dough with a fork.
  11. Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.
  12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  13. Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
  14. Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

Sausage and Kale Filling

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 bunch kale (a large bunch), stemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup ricotta (or another soft cheese like feta or goat cheese)
  • salt and pepper
  1. Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
  2. Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.
  3. Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrape any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.
  4. Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

Tags: Entrees, greens, savory

Comments (121) Questions (7)

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3 months ago Lee Stokes Hilton

I've often made this same mix of sausage, kale, and ricotta (using homemade ricotta, which is simple and beyond compare) and instead of a pie shell tossed it with whole wheat pasta, which is faster and easier, but still tastes great. I also add thin strips of sun-dried tomatoes to the kale saute. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

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3 months ago glammie

Could you do this without a crust to make it a little more carb-friendly? Or, sometimes in lieu of a crust, I'll spray a pie plate with PAM and then coat with dry bread crumbs -- would that work?

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4 months ago Sarahlpearse

I made this for the first time last Sunday. The crust was simple and came out great. My grocery store was out of Kale so I substituted swiss chard which worked well - I sauteed it for a little less time. I used hot italian turkey sausage - and the flavor was divine. Leftovers for lunch the next day were even better. Can't wait to make this again and again and it really is infinitely adaptable with greens/sausage/cheese in different varieties.

Sunflower_profile

5 months ago Burnt Offerings

I agree - good fridge cleaner. I leftover lamb and mint sausage, and half a fennel bulb that I caramelized with the onion and garlic - solid addition!

Food52

6 months ago Manhattan Tart

What a forgiving base from which to start! The crust was fabulous (just pressed it directly into the tart pan -- skipped the "disk" freezing part -- and froze it in the pan). It's a great pantry/'fridge cleaning tart, because I used what I had: a hefty 1/3 cup of goat cheese plus neufchatel, frozen spinach, 3 eggs + a bit of cream, fresh chopped thyme and a sprinkling of fontina on the top. Yes, it's a departure from the recipe, but it avoided a trek to the market (a lovely thing) and made my family very happy. Loved it!

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7 months ago teafanatic

We made this tart for dinner the other night. I would agree that it is pretty simple to make. Flavor wise- meh. It did not live up to expectations.

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9 months ago shoesthatilike

There couldn't be an easier, more satisfying tart, especially as we move into the fall. I bet it would be good with whatever hearty greens you have around. I made much of it while muted on a conference call. (Shhh, don't tell!)

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10 months ago bewler

I have made this tart six times - and it is excellent!!!! It is far easier to throw together than it looks at first and, as others have said, lends itself to variations really well. I have added fennel, used chicken sausage, played with different types of cheese. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!

Me_milkshake

10 months ago lschmoyer

This is great for people who don't completely love kale. The wine softens and sweetens the greens - excellent recipe!

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11 months ago Hark

Made this with sweet potato instead of sausage. The sausage version is tastier (in my husband's opinion), but I thought it was a really good vegetarian alternative.

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11 months ago bewler

This was really delicious! I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it all came together despite the long list of steps. As others have suggested, it would be easier to make substitutions and additions based on what's available and in season. Thanks for a great "go to" recipe!

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about 1 year ago SK Brenton

Quite good and affordable.. I also used half fennel in place of the onion. I garnished with oven-dried roma tomatoes around the outside border and finished with a drizzle of white truffle oil.

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over 1 year ago Seaward

We made this earlier this week, and I agree with everyone, it looks great! This was the first time I've ever worked with kale and I feel like I'm missing something. This tart was so chewy, my husband almost declared it inedible. Is kale always this chewy? Could I substitute spinach and if so would I have to wilt it by itself in order not to have the spinach water in the tart? Any suggestions would be appreciated - I love tarts!

Karen_and_amy

over 1 year ago My Pantry Shelf

Seaward,
I hope this doesn't turn you off to kale, it is such a fantastic vegetable! It certainly is chewier than spinach, but it sounds like you might have had a tough bunch. The precooking of the kale should be enough to tenderize it. As far as the spinach is concerned, give it a try! It is such a delicate green, that it may break down too much. I have not tried it myself. Chard is another good substitute. If you go with spinach, just cook it uncovered until the water evaporates.

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over 1 year ago m.izzy

Had to log-in and comment on this one. Simply delicious. I was nervous my husband wouldn't like it because of the greens (ridiculous I know) but he said it was his new favorite. Thanks so much for the recipe! Instant keeper.

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over 1 year ago m.izzy

Wanted to add that I used the French pastry dough recipe on David Lebovitz's site that another commenter recommended and it worked wonderfully. I was really nervous about making my own tart shell but it was too easy!

Also blended ricotta and feta. Wanted the extra flavor of the feta and it payed off.

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over 1 year ago rachelib

Loved this tart. The shell shrank after pre-baking, so it didn't have much of an edge. Very tasty none the less.

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over 1 year ago themjpchallenge

Great recipe! I love kale, and this really works well. I used 3 more eggs in substitute to the cheese [I am lactose intolerant] and I'm betting it tastes just as good as with cheese!

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over 1 year ago scot walters

Great site and great recipe. I'm a fat loss specialist who likes all types of foods ( an ex chef ). I've been on my nutrition plan faithfully and decided that it was time for a treat. This is gonna be it!

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over 1 year ago d_ribbens

I made this for dinner last night, but added some diced apple into the pan at the same time as the onions because I generally like apple and sausage together. I also used part feta, part ricotta.

It turned out wonderfully, super delicious! Made a great leftover lunch as well :) Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Junepr05

over 1 year ago ChefJune

were I not in Paris, I would be making this for dinner this week. Sounds like exactly what I would like to eat tonight.

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over 1 year ago calendargirl

In PARIS! Sigh... surely you will be having something wonderful tonight. I was just yearning for my favorite Paris street food: falafel from one of the great spots on rue des Rosiers! There are two which compete with each other and are located immediately across the street from each other -- Mi-Va-Mi and L'as du Fallafel. You cannot go wrong with either!

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over 1 year ago calendargirl

We totally adored this when I made it the other day. I hid the last piece at the back of the fridge so I could savor it for one of those solo kitchen lunches. For half of the onions, I substituted chopped fennel, which was perfect with the kale and sausage. Can't wait to make it again. Thanks!.

Karen_and_amy

over 1 year ago My Pantry Shelf

Great idea to add in some fennel!