Spring Rigatoni with sausage, asparagus, and Leeks
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Bright, springy pasta with sausage, asparagus, and leeks. This is a hit in my household, and it only takes around 30 minutes to throw together.
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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2 leeks, cleaned and finely sliced
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2 English banger sausages, casing removed
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2 garlic cloves, grated
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1 bunch of asparagus, sliced into ½-inch pieces, base removed
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1½ tsp fennel seed, crushed
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½ tsp Aleppo pepper or chili flakes (optional)
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⅓ cup dry white wine
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½ lemon, zested and juiced
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1 cup Parmesan, plus more to finish
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1 × 500g bag of orecchiette or rigatoni
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1 cup reserved pasta water
Directions
Heat a large pot of water on the stove and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until al dente, around 2 minutes less than the package suggests. Reserve 1½ cups of pasta water and then drain.
In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and leeks. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Sauté until lightly golden on the edges, then add the sausage, fennel, and chili. Break it into small pieces and sauté until caramelized, around 5 minutes.
Deglaze with the white wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and asparagus, then season again with salt and pepper. Sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Add the al dente pasta to the pan with 1 cup of grated Parmesan and 1 cup of pasta water. On low heat, mix together until a sauce starts to coat the noodles. If it needs to be saucier, add more pasta water. Add in the lemon zest and juice and mix again. Serve and finish with more Parmesan. Enjoy!