Sausage, Kale, & White Bean Rotini

Sauté the onions.

We always want what we can't have.
When it's summer and 100°, I want cool autumn weather and hearty comfort food. When it's 50° and raining for the 40^th day in a row, I want summer sunshine and red ripe tomatoes.
Somehow my stars aligned, and what I actually wanted was exactly what the weather called for: peasant food on a damp and chilly day. I had a taste for beans & greens, but not the southern standard version (black-eyed peas and collards). This is not really a pasta fagioli, because of the greens, but it is a close relation. The flavors are extremely straightforward, and there's not much in the way of spices or seasoning−there's nothing to be gained here by turning to the spice rack and throwing stuff into the pot (and this is coming from someone who routinely turns to the spice rack and starts throwing stuff into the pot just for the fun of it).