There’s something almost sacred about certain types of mushrooms. I remember when I was at cooking school in Paris, discovering the thrills of experimenting with freshly foraged chanterelles for the first time, and feeling like I could never go back to a generic white mushroom ever again. And with all the incredible varieties of edible fungi, I luckily don’t have to (unless I so choose). Portobello, shitake, maitake, enoki, button…there really are endless directions you can go in, and endless flavours, textures, and even specific nutritional properties to play around with.

While the options are vast, this recipe calls upon the three harmonizing varieties of oyster, cremini, and you guessed it, my number one fave…chanterelles. Accompanied by the earthy goodness of baby kale, and a welcome protein-hit of free-range chicken sausage, this is less of a recipe, and more-so a suggestion of toppers for your favourite pasta base. Whether you’re going for gluten-free, low-carb, or something a bit more traditional, my only request is that you leave the highly refined white flour options alone, opting for something with at least some sort of nutrient profile, like the organic emmer fettuccini pictured here.

Either way, I guarantee the following dish, or some iteration of it, will become a regular fixture in your weeknight dinner rotation.

Mushroom, Baby Kale, and Chicken Sausage Pasta

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: About 20 minutes

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup oyster mushroom, left whole, or cut down the middle if larger pieces
1 cup chanterelle mushroom, left whole, or cut down the middle if larger pieces
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
5 free-range chicken sausages, sliced (pictured here with Rossdown Farms mild Italian free-range chicken sausage)
4-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups baby kale
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
4 loose cups cooked pasta (pictured here with Cowichan Pasta Co. Organic Emmer Fettuccini)

Directions:

Heat a large pan to medium and add about a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom.
Add the mushrooms, and sauté until they start to soften.
Add the garlic, and sauté together with the mushroom until both the garlic and mushrooms begin to slightly brown.
Add the kale, and sauté until wilted, then add in about 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, followed by the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Lightly stir until everything is combined, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Using the same pan, re-coat with about another tablespoon of olive oil, then adding in the sliced sausage pieces, and sauté until fully cooked. Set aside.
In the large mixing bowl, toss the sautéed mushrooms and kale with the cooked pasta and a tablespoon or two more of olive oil, and finally the sausage pieces.
Plate and top with some freshly grated grass-fed cheese.