Skip to main content
Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Italian Sausage with Grilled Broccolini, Kale, and Lemon

By Chris Morocco

4.6

(3)

Image may contain Plant Dish Food Meal Seasoning and Vegetable
Photo by Peden + Munk

Even sausage can dry out when overcooked; we like browning them over direct heat, then moving them to a cooler spot to finish cooking.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for grill
3 tablespoons crushed unsalted, roasted almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 bunches broccolini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 bunch small Tuscan kale, tough stems removed
1 1/2 pounds coiled Italian sausage, preferably skewered, or links
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
2 ounces mild Pecorino, shaved

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill); oil grate. Mix almonds, lemon juice, capers, honey, and 4 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.

    Step 2

    Combine broccolini and kale in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Toss well to evenly coat vegetables; season with salt.

    Step 3

    Grill sausage over direct heat until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat and continue to cook, turning and rotating occasionally, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, cook broccolini and kale over direct heat until kale is lightly browned and crisp around the edges and broccolini stem is crisp-tender, about 1 minute for kale and 3 minutes for broccolini. Transfer back to bowl.

    Step 5

    Grill lemon slices over direct heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl with broccolini and kale and add half of dressing and half of Pecorino. Toss to combine; season salad with salt and pepper.

    Step 6

    Mound some of the salad on top of the sausage and leave some in the bowl. Drizzle remaining dressing over all of the salad and top with remaining Pecorino.

TagsItalian AmericanItalianEuropeanSausageMeatBroccoli/BroccoliniVegetableKaleLeafy GreensMainLunchDinnerGluten FreeQuickEasy30 Minutes or LessGrillingBon Appétit

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Sausage With Charred Cabbage and Giardiniera
A bed of charred cabbage speckled with chopped giardiniera makes the perfect landing place of sweet Italian sausages and plenty of basil.
Spaghetti With Cabbage, Pancetta, and Calabrian Chile
Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.
Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
Blue cheese lovers, this one's for you. A glossy blue cheese dressing is tossed with radicchio, hazelnuts, and roasted squash for a satisfying fall salad.
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Kung Pao Cabbage With Tofu
Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.
Stacked Muffuletta Salad
This towering salad—built with the components of a muffuletta sandwich like mortadella and an olive dressing—is ready for a party.
Radicchio Jam Rigatoni
Cooking down radicchio with vinegar and sugar until jammy is an eye-opening approach that reveals a world of options beyond salad.
Sheet-Pan Sausage With Corn, Peach, and Cucumber Salad
This summery sheet-pan dinner celebrates the bounty of the season and couldn't be simpler to make. Chorizo plays nicely with the salad, thanks to its spice.