I just adore pasta.. but I love it even more when it's an all-in-one meal with veggies and a protein. It makes dinner time so much simpler, and everyone loves it too! That's a mom-win for sure! It goes without saying in this space, (but I'll say it anyway, in case this is the first post you're reading here), that ingredients are first and foremost the most important part of the recipe. They will make or break the nutritional value of the meal as well as the flavor profile. With that said, do your best to get the highest quality ingredients (least processed and ideally organic). I've linked up a few of my pantry favorites that I've used here.
Serves 4-6:
Ingredients:
6-8 cloves Garlic, smashed and chopped.
3/4 cup sliced Fennel
1 bunch of Broccolini, sliced lengthwise
1 large handful of fresh Parsley
1 large handful of fresh Basil
1 lb fresh Italian sausage, ideally pasture- raised
Avocado oil or Tallow for browning the sausage
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Ghee or grass-fed Butter
1/3 Cup Water
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a medium saucepan, drizzle some avocado oil or tallow and brown the sausage on medium/high heat. Once browned all- around, slice diagonally into bite- sized pieces and continue to cook, adding a bit of water if necessary, until the sausage is fully cooked. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a bit of the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium, and add the garlic. Sauté for a minute on medium/high until aromatic and then add the fennel and broccolini. At this point, it's time to boil the pasta according to package directions (al dente). Continue cooking the broccolini and fennel on medium/low heat, adding in 1/3 cup of water. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain and add to the large saucepan. Toss in the sausage, butter and remaining olive oil along with the parsley and basil. Add the salt and pepper and mix well, melding all the flavors together. Serve with freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (Locatelli is my favorite!!). Buon appetito!!