Today I got something delicious for you… but it’s not coming from my oven. Nothing sweet, no cake or anything like that today. Just delicious pasta with meatballs, mushrooms, and kale. A tasty dish we love in winter. A lot of great flavors come together in one dish. You should definitely try this one here ;)
I have to admit – kale is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some might say it tastes a bit too “green” or “earthy”. I love kale and could eat it all the time when it is in season. Be it now as Kale with Smoked Knockwurst (Pinkel) or in any other dishes. You can do so much with it – that green stuff doesn’t always have to end up overcooked on your plate like it happens a lot, unfortunately. You can make really nice salads with kale, delicious curry, kale pesto and even pastries with kale (Kale Franzbrötchen). The possibilities are endless you could say ;)
Kale is not necessarily the hero in this dish, but if it was not here to play its role the dish would miss a key ingredient. The combination of all of the ingredients creates a delicious dish. Together with the meatballs and the mushrooms, you will end up with a super delicious pasta dish. Something you definitely want more after the first bite.
Speaking of mushrooms. I made this dish here with chanterelles, but theoretically, you can make this with any other mushrooms as well. The season of chanterelles and kale overlap only slightly in October, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the dish as described here throughout winter. Instead of fresh chanterelles, you can also use frozen or dried chanterelles – dried chanterelles are normally the first choice for us at home, because dried mushrooms can be stored for a very long time ;)
As for the meat for the meatballs – I used ground beef but you can also use pork end beef mixed or ground pork only, even ground turkey can be used here – whatever you like best or prefer. We like to make our meatballs with lean ground beef only and add some fried bacon for some additional fat and flavors. Those meatballs turn out pretty nice I think ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
1.8 oz. (50g) bacon, finely chopped
2 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
17.6 oz. (500g) ground beef
1.4 oz. (40g) breadcrumbs
1 medium egg
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika powder
salt, pepper
7 oz. (200g) chanterelles or other mushrooms (fresh, frozen or dried), chopped
2-3 stems of kale, chopped
olive oil for frying
14 oz. (400g) orecchiette pasta
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
50g Speck, fein gewürfelt
2 kleine Zwiebeln, gehackt
4 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
500g Rinderhackfleisch
40g Semmelbrösel
1 Ei (M)
1/8 TL rote Chiliflocken
1/8 TL geräuchertes Paprikapulver
Salz, Pfeffer
200g Pfifferlinge oder andere Pilze (frisch, gefroren oder getrocknet), gehackt
2-3 Stiele Grünkohl, gehackt
Olivenöl zum Braten
400g Orecchiette
geriebener Parmesan (zum Servieren)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the ground beef to a bowl, add the fried bacon, onion, and garlic, as well as the bread crumbs, egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika powder. Mix everything until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Make golf ball-sized balls out of the mixture and set aside.
3. Clean and chop the mushrooms. If you use frozen ones, let them defrost first – if you use dried ones, soak them first in warm water as stated on the package. Wash and dry the kale, remove the thick stems and chop coarsely. Set aside.
4. Heat up a large pot with salted water and cook the pasta as stated on the package until al dente. When done drain and set aside. Keep some of the pasta water – just in case.
5. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large pan with some olive oil and fry the meatballs from all sides until nicely browned – takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm. Add some more oil if necessary and add the remaining onion and garlic and fry until soft and glossy. Add the chopped mushrooms and kale and fry for 6-8 minutes until everything is cooked and crisp. Add the drained pasta, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pasta also got some color. If the mix looks dry, add a bit of the pasta water and mix well, then add the meatballs back into the pan. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with some grated parmesan on top.
2. Das Hackfleisch in eine Schüssel geben, den gebratenen Speck, Zwiebel und Knoblauch aus der Pfanne, sowie die Semmelbrösel, das Ei, die roten Chiliflocken und das Paprikapulver dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Aus der Masse golfballgroße Kugeln formen und zur Seite stellen.
3. Die Pilze putzen und hacken. Wer gefrorene Pilze verwendet, erst einmal auftauen lassen, bei getrockneten Pilzen nach Packungsanleitung erst in warmem Wasser einweichen lassen. Den Grünkohl waschen, trocknen und dann die dicken Stile entfernen und den Rest grob hacken. Zur Seite stellen.
4. Die Nudeln nach Packungsanleitung in einem großen Topf mit Salzwasser al dente Kochen. Wenn sie gar sind, abgießen und zur Seite stellen. Etwas Nudelwasser dabei auffangen und zur Seite stellen.
5. Während die Nudeln kochen, die große Pfanne wieder mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen und die Fleischbällchen darin von allen Seiten anbraten, bis sie schön gebräunt sind – dauert etwa 6-8 Minuten. Aus der Pfanne nehmen, beiseite stellen und warm halten. Falls notwendig, noch etwas Öl in die Pfanne geben und dann die restlichen Zwiebeln und Knoblauch glasig andünsten. Die gehackten Pilze und den Grünkohl zugeben und 6-8 Minuten braten, bis alles knusprig aussieht. Die abgetropften Nudeln dazugeben, alles vermischen und dann für 1-2 Minuten mit anbraten, damit die Nudeln ebenfalls etwas Farbe bekommen. Sollte die Mischung etwas trocken wirken, etwas Nudelwasser dazugeben und alles gut durchrühren. Die Fleischbällchen zurück in die Pfanne geben und nach Belieben noch mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen, mit geriebenem Parmesan bestreuen und servieren.
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
PrintPasta with Kale, Mushrooms, and Meatballs
- Prep Time: 00:25
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 00:45
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: International
Description
Delicious pasta dish in winter with kale, mushrooms, and meatballs.
Ingredients
1.8 oz. (50g) bacon, finely chopped
2 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
17.6 oz. (500g) ground beef
1.4 oz. (40g) breadcrumbs
1 medium egg
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika powder
salt, pepper
7 oz. (200g) chanterelles or other mushrooms (fresh, frozen or dried), chopped
2–3 stems of kale, chopped
olive oil for frying
14 oz. (400g) orecchiette pasta
finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
Instructions
1. Chop the bacon very finely. Peel and chop the onions and garlic cloves finely. Heat up a large frying pan, add the chopped bacon and render out the fat a bit. Add half of the chopped onions and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Take off the heat and let cool down a bit.
2. Add the ground beef to a bowl, add the fried bacon, onion, and garlic, as well as the bread crumbs, egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika powder. Mix everything until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Make golf ball-sized balls out of the mixture and set aside.
3. Clean and chop the mushrooms. If you use frozen ones, let them defrost first – if you use dried ones, soak them first in warm water as stated on the package. Wash and dry the kale, remove the thick stems and chop coarsely. Set aside.
4. Heat up a large pot with salted water and cook the pasta as stated on the package until al dente. When done drain and set aside. Keep some of the pasta water – just in case.
5. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large pan with some olive oil and fry the meatballs from all sides until nicely browned – takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm. Add some more oil if necessary and add the remaining onion and garlic and fry until soft and glossy. Add the chopped mushrooms and kale and fry for 6-8 minutes until everything is cooked and crisp. Add the drained pasta, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pasta also got some color. If the mix looks dry, add a bit of the pasta water and mix well, then add the meatballs back into the pan. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with some grated parmesan on top.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!