Pasta for the Patio Weather.
Pasta is always a comforting meal. I don’t know about you all, but to me it’s one of the most comforting meals for sure. This linguine pasta with spicy Italian sausage in Arrabbiata sauce is such a hearty and a satisfying meal. And all the fresh herbs and burrata in the dish makes it a perfect spring meal. It’s quick, really simple, and so delicious. And while I was weighing all the ingredients for this recipe, I realized that I normally make vegetarian pasta dishes. Don’t ask me why though lol! But here is a very delicious non-vegetarian pasta recipe that will surely make you lick your bowl at the end of the meal.
Finally I can say that I am out of winter hibernation. Wuhuuu!!! We did have some snow in May though, would you believe it, in May! I know it’s crazy right! But finally it’s the patio weather and I have been spending all my days in the garden catching up on some yard work. All while making simple, delicious & balanced meals like this pasta (linguine pasta with sausage in arrabbiata sauce), makes a perfect dinner.
Home Made or Store Bought Pasta?
You could make your own pasta or use store bought. Literally making your own pasta is simpler than you think. I plan to do an entire post of making your own pasta, but to keep it short for now, I’ll leave it up to you guys to decide if you want to make your own or not for this linguine pasta. Gotta finish up all the yard work that I started, so will leave this post short and easy.
For the sauce, I used the arrabbiata sauce from Trader Joes. But you could use any brand you like. Normally I do make the sauce at home, and freeze it. However, if you are in a rush, especially on busy weekdays, the pre-made sauce comes in very handy. But if you would want to make the sauce at home then I do have a recipe for a delicious arrabbiata sauce that I made in fall for pumpkin pasta. Click Here to go to the recipe. You might might to leave out the pumpkin and coconut from this recipe to make your own home made arrabbiata sauce.
Italian Sausage to Oomph up the Linguine Pasta.
The sausage that I used in this recipe is Spicy Italian chicken sausage. I absolutely love the flavors of this sausage. You could use chicken or pork, depending on your personal preference. I used the uncooked kind and removed the casing just to get the minced meat-not a fan of casing. But if it’s a huge task for you, then leave it as is and simply chop the sausage in small pieces.
You’ll notice I used fennel seeds in the sauce. I know some of you might think why fennel seeds in the pasta. But it makes the whole difference. It adds that subtle licorice notes, that oomph’s up the whole flavor of the dish. The Spicy Italian sausage also has some amount of fennel and that extra just adds to the flavor of the dish. It also adds the bite texture to the dish.
Minimal but Extra Delish.
The recipe doesn’t call for many ingredients as I wanted to keep it simple, delicious and minimal. Sometimes adding too many vegetables in a dish can make the flavors too busy. The mushrooms has that umaminess that goes with all kinds of meats or poultry. And since they are in season, why not! I also added some roasted eggplant to the dish, that slightly gets mushy in the sauce and makes it really flavorful. The store bought sauce can be a bit extra tart, so it also cuts down the tartness from the tomatoes in the sauce. I love adding roasted eggplants into my red sauce based pastas and even pizza. It does taste so fabulous .
You could use any herbs you like. Although basil is what I would advice. I added some basil along with parsley to give that spring freshness to this hearty pasta. I also added some green Sicilian olives that are always in my refrigerator for munching. The olives added a lot of flavor to the pasta. I kept them whole, but you could chop them if you like. If you are not a fan of green olives then you don’t have to add them. All that and the burrata cheese on top. It was literally my favorite part in the whole dish. The cream inside of the cheese, melts beautifully and helps the sauce to stick to the pasta. OMG, it just tastes heavenly.
If you make this linguine pasta with spicy Italian sausage in Arrabbiata sauce, I would love to see your version, so do share with me on my Facebook page , or Instagram.
If you want to try other pasta recipe using the arrabbiata sauce, then check out this Gluten Free pasta in vegan pumpkin and coconut sauce. Also for other vegan lovers, this Vegan Olive Pesto Pasta would be a big hit.
Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts, all my other friends living in the opposite climate, enjoy the fall before it gets cold. Much love to you all from MN xx
Let's talk, pasta. Home made or store bought. Well whichever you choose won't matter because the arrabbiata sauce with licorice flavors from the Italian sausage and fennel seeds will be enough to forget you were eating pasta. That and the oh so creamy buratta and basil and parsley herbs to give it the spring freshness right to your dinner table. Enjoy.
- 227 grams lingunie pasta (8 oz pack)
- 300 grams spicy Italian sausage, uncooked (10.5 oz)
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 100 grams mushrooms, roughly chopped (shiitake or white button mushrooms) (3.5 oz)
- 250 grams eggplant (9 oz)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- salt to taste
- 2 lemon zest
- 1.5 cups arabitta sauce (12 oz)
- 3 tbsp oil
- Some olive oil to drizzle over eggplant
- Fresh herbs (Basil or parsley or combination of both)
- Few green olives
- burrata cheese for topping
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Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Slice eggplant into circular discs, around 1- 1.5 inches thickness. Drizzle some olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 25- 35 minutes. Turn them half through. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the slices. Once the eggplant is cooked, cut each disc into half or thirds depending on how big the size it. You could also roughly chop them up. Meanwhile make the sauce.
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Get the sausage meat out of the casing and using a fork, break down the meat.
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In a heavy bottom skillet heat 1 tbsp oil and add the minced Italian sausage meat. on a medium low heat, cook for about 5 minutes while breaking down the meat in the pan. Once the meat of 90% cooked, remove it from the pan and keep it aside.
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In the same pan, add the rest of the oil (2tbsp). heat it on medium heat. Then add, fennel seeds, garlic and citrus zest. Sauce for 5-10 seconds.
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Add the sliced onions and chopped mushrooms. Sauce on medium heat till onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked. This might take 5-8 minutes.
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Then add in the chili flakes, thyme and black pepper powder. Give it a quick stir.
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Now add the cooked sausage meat and the arrabbiata sauce. Mix it well and cover the pan. Cook on low for 7-8 minutes. Check for salt and other seasoning.
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Add the fresh herbs, and the sliced roasted eggplant. Give it a quick mix and turn off the heat. Add the reserved pasta water if the sauce gets too thick. Mix in the cooked pasta and mix it well.
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To cook pasta, follow the instructions on the packet. Reserve the pasta water and drain the rest. Add this boiled pasta immediately to the cooked sauce.
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To serve, put some pasta into your serving dishes and add some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Top it off with some burrata and fresh basil. Add the green olives if you wish. Enjoy it hot.
3 Comments
Pretty healthy and awesome 😎
Easy to follow recipe. And awesome photography!
I love all the vegetables added to the pasta especially eggplant. Sometimes I buy eggplant and make the same dishes but I can’t wait to try this recipe and add it to pasta.