Sausage, Vegetable and Pine Nut Pasta
This sausage, vegetable and pine nut pasta is a quick and flavour-packed dinner. Juicy sausage, fresh veg, and crunchy pine nuts combine for a hearty, satisfying meal ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 3 pork sausages skins removed and discarded
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
- 150 g (5.3 oz) pasta of your choice fresh or dried
- 1 to 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g (3.5 oz) leeks halved lengthways and then sliced (approx. 1 cm thick)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) chestnut mushrooms quartered or sliced
- 145 g (5.1 oz) broccoli cut into small florets
- 95 g (3.4 oz) green beans halved
- 1 clove garlic peeled and sliced
- 70 g (2.5 oz) sugar snap peas halved
- 150 g (5.3 oz) curly kale already chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 150 g (5.3 oz) spinach
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted (see Notes)
- freshly grated parmesan to taste
Instructions
- Chop up the sausage meat and grind the fennel seeds and chilli flakes together in a pestle and mortar, until the fennel seeds are lightly crushed.
- If you're using dried pasta, cook it now in boiling salted water until al dente, according to the packet instructions - when draining the pasta reserve a few tablespoons of cooking water.
- Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan or shallow casserole dish. Add the chopped sausage, ground fennel seeds and chilli flakes and brown for 6 minutes. Stir frequently to coat and chop the sausage meat up a bit more while cooking. After 2 minutes add the leeks, mushrooms, broccoli and green beans and cook together for the remaining 4 minutes - stir frequently.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- If you're using fresh pasta, cook this now in boiling salted water until al dente, according to the packet instructions - when draining the pasta reserve a few tablespoons of cooking water.
- Add the sugar snap peas to the frying pan and stir. Then add the kale and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sweat the kale for 5 minutes with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cooking water from the pasta. Stir frequently to reduce down.
- After 2 minutes add the spinach and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wilt the spinach for the last 3 minutes of the kale cooking time along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooking water from the pasta. Stir frequently.
- Stir in the pine nuts.
- Add the pasta to the frying pan and mix together with the sausages and vegetables over a medium to low heat until everything is well mixed.
- Add a good handful of finely grated parmesan and mix together with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
- Check the seasoning - it's unlikely that you'll need salt but you may need some extra freshly ground black pepper. Serve with more freshly grated parmesan and enjoy!
Notes
- Optional variations:
- Use Italian sausages for extra flavour.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers for sweetness.
- Swap the pine nuts for toasted almonds or walnuts for variety.
- Feel free to change the combination of vegetables - for example: try courgette, mangetout or peas.
- Toasted pine nuts - heat a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the pine nuts in a single layer for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently to get light colour on both sides.
- This sausage, vegetable and pine nut pasta recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for more people.
Nutrition
Calories: 858kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 1901mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 16746IU | Vitamin C: 190mg | Calcium: 413mg | Iron: 9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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