“It doesn’t matter.”
That was one of the most common answers I would get from our teenage foster son when he first came to live with us almost a year ago. I would be asking him about dinner, about his favorite foods and meals, about whether he would want, say, pasta or pizza.
Of course it matters, I would protest! I would try to get that point across in whatever ways I could, but for the first month or two, his answer would always be the same. Until one day, on vacation, when I pushed the issue, telling him that I was trying to make sure I cooked things he liked, foods that would be tasty but also nourishing enough to power his passion for basketball. I worried that he didn’t actually care, that my efforts didn’t make a difference to him one way or the other.
That wasn’t it, he assured me. He cares. He said “It doesn’t matter” because he was sure that whatever I cooked was going to be so much better than what he had been eating at his previous foster home, the comparison between now and then overshadowed any comparison between chicken Alfredo and red beans and rice. It was a rare moment of true communication from a teenager whose words had been few. I was immediately relieved. Then next time I asked him if he felt like, say, spaghetti and meatballs that night, he started to say, “It doesn’t—,” then caught himself and said, “Sure.”
Once I got in the groove of keeping up with his appetite, trying to always keep a steady supply of leftovers and healthy-ish snacks around for him, I turned my attention to cementing some semblance of a family-dinner habit, which was easier when I was on parental leave, without work to distract from my meal planning.
Still, one of the biggest challenges has been cooking something that all three of us could enjoy: My husband, who doesn’t eat beef or pork but loves shrimp and chicken; the teenager, who eats (a lot) of everything except shrimp, to which he is allergic, and who doesn’t love vegetables but knows they’re good for him; and me, a vegetarian. The two adults are trying to slim down, while the teenager is trying to bulk up.
Some things I had fed previous foster children worked well, with adaptations: Red beans and rice with collard greens, plus turkey sausage the meat eaters could add to their portions. Crispy tacos, made with ground turkey for them and beans or vegan chorizo for me. And then came a winter breakthrough: I put together a black bean sweet potato chili we all like, then fried up more of that ground turkey, seasoning it in some of the same spices. I took out my own portion plus more for leftovers, then stirred the turkey into the rest. The problem was, my husband accidentally ate my leftovers instead of his.
As I returned to work last month, the issue became more crucial. Couldn’t I find something that would satisfy all of us without the need for extra skillets and warning labels? “I don’t like vegan food,” the teenager said one day, seemingly apropos of nothing. But then, several weeks ago, he unwittingly ate some leftover sausages and told me how much he liked them. “They’re vegan!” I replied, and thankfully, amazingly, that didn’t spoil the appeal.
That was my cue to develop this big pasta dish that works for us all. Before I sauteed the typical garlic and onion, I cooked slices of vegan sausages, using a spicy Italian version that seasoned the aromatics. In went chopped kale and cauliflower, tomato sauce and whole-wheat pasta. Turns out, it kept well in the fridge, can go in the freezer, and tasted good at room temperature for office (or school) lunches. The more often I made it, the better it got: I started spiking it with crushed red pepper flakes, then remembered how much the teenager appreciates pepperoncini on his sandwiches, so in went some of those, and some olives. At one point, I started deglazing with red wine, and sometimes sprinkling in a little sugar to taste. (Don’t @ me; it’s optional!) The result is a bountiful, veg-heavy pasta dish with some flavorful sparks.
Success! At least for the time being. Ultimately, wrangling the teenager into actually sitting down with us for meals, in between workouts and practices and games, has become nearly impossible. As much as I know the importance of family dinner, most nights he heads straight to his room after getting home, having grabbed some snack between school and practice, and doesn’t eat dinner until my husband and I are downstairs watching TV. Part of that is because he’s trying to avoid cleanup duties. We’re working on that.
At least most of the time, I’ve got things waiting for him in the fridge that he likes. And at least now he knows what my husband and I have always known.
It matters.
Pasta with Vegan Sausage, Cauliflower and Kale. Photo for The Washington Post by Tom McCorkle. Food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post
Pasta With Vegan Sausage, Cauliflower and Kale
Total time: 45 minutes
8 servings
This hearty dish is the result of Food editor Joe Yonan’s attempts to satisfy his family’s various dietary preferences while also getting some nutritious vegetables into his teenage foster son and creating leftovers to take to work or school. Olives and pepperoncini add sparks of interest. Beyond Sausage exudes fat that nicely seasons the dish, but feel free to use whatever vegan sausage you prefer.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Substitutions:
• Instead of Beyond Sausage >> use your favorite vegan sausage, plus 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (with the onions and garlic) if you want a touch of heat.
• For cauliflower, try carrots or broccoli; for the kale, spinach or Swiss chard
• Wine >> half red wine vinegar and half water
• For the olives or pepperoncini, substitute 2 tablespoons capers
• Pasta >> gluten-free pasta, rice, mashed potatoes or polenta
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 pound whole-wheat pasta (preferably fusilli or farfalle)
1 bunch (12 ounces) kale, leaves stripped from stems
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
1 pound vegan sausage (preferably spicy Italian Beyond Sausage), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (1 1/2-pound) head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup pepperoncini slices, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
Vegan parmesan (such as Violife brand) or nutritional yeast (optional), for serving
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
While the pasta water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, thinly slice the kale stems and chop the leaves. Keep the stems and leaves separate.
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage, cover, and cook until it browns on the bottom and firms up, about 4 minutes. Uncover, flip the sausage pieces, and add the kale stems, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Uncover, add the cauliflower and cook, stirring, until it starts to become tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the kale leaves and cook, stirring, until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up the flavorful browned bits on the bottom. Stir in the tomatoes, olives and pepperoncini, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, and add the sugar, if you’d like, and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Transfer the pasta to the sauce, add the parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss to combine. Stir in the pasta water, 1/2 cup at a time.
Divide among serving plates, top with more parsley and vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast, if using, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve hot.
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