Main Dishes
Italian Sausage Pasta
Description
This easy Italian Sausage Pasta brings all the flavor with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a bright, buttery lemon sauce, along with white beans and spinach to make it extra filling. Mangia!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat short pasta such as penne, orecchiette, or farfalle
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sweet or hot Italian turkey sausage
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more to taste
- 3 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½ cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained, patted dry, and chopped
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil from the jar above
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small lemon zest and juice
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- 4 cups roughly chopped baby spinach about 4 ounces
Directions
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. This recipe moves fast! Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water (don’t forget!), then drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or similar large, deep pan, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Squeeze the sausages from their casings into the pot. With a wooden or similar sturdy spoon or spatula (I love my meat chopper), break up the sausage into small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes. If at any point the pan looks dry and the sausage starts to really stick, add a little more oil as needed.
- Add the salt, black pepper, red pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the wine, scraping up any bits that have collected on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by approximately half, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, pasta, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Heat gently and stir until well combined and the sauce starts to come together, about 1 to 2 minutes. If at any point the pasta looks dry, splash in a little additional pasta water as needed.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the sun-dried tomato oil, butter, Parmesan, lemon zest (zest the lemon right over the pasta), and lemon juice. Keep stirring until combined and the noodles are coated in a silky sauce.
- A few handfuls at a time, stir in the baby spinach until it wilts. Serve topped with additional Parmesan to taste.
