Creamy Chicken & Kale Cavatappi
with Garlic, Lemon & Parmesan
- Wheat
- Milk
A bowl of pasta never fails to satisfy—it’s quick, carby, comforting, and a terrific weeknight go-to. When you add sweet Italian chicken sausage, tender bites of garlicky kale, and Parmesan to the equation, you’ve reached another level of deliciousness entirely. Ready to enjoy bite after bite of twisty cavatappi pasta cloaked in a lemony, buttery cream sauce? We thought so.
Ingredients
1 unit
Onion
4 ounce
Kale
2 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and finely chop onion. Remove and discard any large stems from kale; chop into bite-size pieces if necessary. Peel and thinly slice garlic. Quarter lemon.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 3⁄4 cup pasta cooking water (1 1⁄2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage* and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until sausage is mostly cooked through and onion is softened, 3-5 minutes. • Stir in kale and garlic; cook until sausage is cooked through and kale is wilted, 3-5 minutes. TIP: Add kale in batches if necessary.
Rinse shrimp* under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels or open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid. Swap in shrimp or chicken for sausage (no need to break up into pieces!).
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cream sauce base, sour cream, stock concentrate, 1⁄4 cup reserved pasta cooking water (1/3 cup for 4 servings), and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in drained cavatappi, half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings), and a squeeze of lemon juice. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Divide pasta between bowls; top with remaining Parmesan. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Poultry is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the dish's delicious, flavorful taste. Some found it needed extra seasoning for more depth.
- Ease of prep: Customers appreciated how easy and quick this pasta dish was to prepare.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more sauce, cream base, or pasta water for a creamier consistency. Extra Parmesan can boost flavor 🧀.
- Portions: Generous servings reported, especially with the double chicken option.
Reviews from our home cooks
I love this recipe and get it often. However, with double meat the chicken was shredded and not ground which soaked up all the sauce. I had to try and make up something to add more sauce so it would taste right.
Expected chicken sausage but received breast pieces. Overall this dish was a bit dry and adding splashes of pasta water thickened the already sparse sauce.
Delicious! Again, more sauce so I can dip my bread!
Didn't like it as much with the chopped chicken - was better with ground sausage. And too many onions proportionally.
