Merguez and Kale Pasta

Name: Merguez and Kale Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 5 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound ground beef, at least 20-percent fat; 3 garlic cloves, grated; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro; 2 ½ tablespoons sweet paprika; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon dried mint; Fine sea salt; Ground black pepper; 5 cups coarsely chopped kale leaves; 2 cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce; 1 pound dry linguine; Grated or shredded Parmesan for serving

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Published April 19, 2024

Merguez and Kale Pasta — Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Total Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Rating: 4(33)
Notes: Read community notes

To replicate the fragrant and earthy flavors of merguez, a traditional North African sausage, this recipe calls for browning ground beef with plenty of fennel, cumin and coriander seeds, paprika and dried mint. Stirring in a jar of marinara results in a hearty, satisfying sauce much like classic Bolognese but with an added layer of warm, aromatic spices. If using store-bought merguez (which is often made with lamb and can be spicy depending on your tolerance), remember to remove the casing. Ribbon-like pasta shapes like linguine, spaghetti or tagliatelle work best with the sauce, but feel free to use what’s on hand.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

1tablespoon fennel seeds
1tablespoon cumin seeds
1tablespoon coriander seeds
5tablespoons olive oil
1pound ground beef, at least 20-percent fat
3garlic cloves, grated
2tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2½ tablespoons sweet paprika
1tablespoon granulated sugar
1tablespoon dried mint
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
5cups coarsely chopped kale leaves
2cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
1pound dry linguine
Grated or shredded Parmesan for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Toast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan over medium for about 3 minutes or until fragrant; transfer to a plate to cool. Pour seeds into a spice (or coffee) grinder or mortar to finely grind the seeds. Set aside until ready to use. You can prepare this mixture in advance and keep it in a container for up to 7 days.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the beef, ground fennel, cumin and coriander mixture, garlic, cilantro, paprika, sugar, mint, 1¼ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for about 7 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Add the kale and 3 tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring to combine, for about 5 minutes or until the kale begins to soften. Add the marinara and leave to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if sauce begins to boil.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the pasta: Place a large pot of water over high heat, add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until almost al dente, reserving 1 cup of cooking water, and drain.
Step 4
Pour the pasta into the sauce pot. Stir to combine, adding a couple tablespoons of cooking water at a time until the sauce nicely coats the pasta. Remove from heat, taste and season with salt and serve, with Parmesan on side, right away.

Ratings

4 out of 5

33 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Don2 months ago

For a tad healthier, I doubled the meat (15% fat, not greasy), increased the spices by a multiple of 1/2 except for the sweet paprika added 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, nixed the sugar (there is plenty in the marinara), reduced salt to my taste, doubled the kale, used chickpea fusilli (put it in at the end and be gentle when stirring, it is fragile), added more water along the way, and skipped the parmesan. The family loves it--we try Mediterranean foods frequently and appreciate the forward spices.

jtshome1 month ago

I’d like to try this as written, but my wife is vegetarian so I substituted an excellent mix of mushrooms I was fortunate to find at the farmers market in Carlsbad CA. Rather than canned marinara I prepared the simple but better recipe from NYTimes. Prepped mushrooms first with dry heated sauté pan then a little butter, olive oil, garlic. My conclusion from this experiment is that this recipe provides some great ideas to make a hearty, tomato based pasta sauce with a novel flavor profile.

Chels2 months ago

Used 3 cups of marinara and an extra tablespoon of sugar, reduced the salt a little and skipped the Parmesan and found it perfectly met the description of the recipe as a Bolognese with extra warmth. The kale looks like a lot, but I’ll double it next time. Passes the next day leftover test re-heated with some saved pasta water.

Cheryl2 months ago

Agree that it was too salty...otherwise delicious! My husband asked that it be a "keeper!"

sparky2 months ago

Am I correct in omitting the fennel, cumin, coriander seeds, paprika and dried mint if using Merguez and keeping the garlic and sugar?

Lucky Peach2 months ago

I had ground lamb on hand so I used that and no mint so I just doubled up on the cilantro (which I probably would have done anyways - I love cilantro). Otherwise I pretty much followed the recipe as written. Delicious. Will definitely make this again.

Don2 months ago

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