I originally made a version of this when I bought beet and dill bratwurst at a local market. The bratwurst was bright pink before I cooked it, but I hodgepodged a meal together with the crumbled sausage and finished it off with fresh lemon, dill, and red pepper flakes. I loved the combinations of the flavors and I knew I had to make a version to share with you guys as soon as I could. I didn’t want to use beet and dill sausage in this lemon pasta because I figured that was pretty unique and probably difficult to find. If you can find it though, it will be super tasty in this! But otherwise, just use turkey sausage. Breakfast sausage or Italian sausage, either work fine. I sometimes prefer the milder flavor of breakfast sausage over the bold flavors of Italian sausage.
More About this Lemon Pasta with Sausage
Fresh and flavorful: This pasta is bright and fresh and tastes like spring, but it’s just hearty enough to warm us on cold days. I Easy to make: It’s easy to make too. Take-out might be the first choice some nights, but easy one pan meals are a close runner-up. Flexible: If you want to use a different meat or vegetable, this recipe is easily adaptable. Read on for ideas!
More One Pan Pasta Recipes
Through sharing recipes such a homemade hamburger helper, one pan broccoli chicken alfredo, and taco pasta (more where those came from, too!), I’ve discovered that you guys love one pan pasta recipes. And why wouldn’t you? I love them too. Who wants to make two pans and a strainer dirty just for a good pasta dinner? This lemon pasta is another one of our favorites. It’s far from a traditional meaty red sauce like a Bolognese, but the bright flavors win my heart over.
Make it Your Own
If you don’t have asparagus or it’s not in season, this dish is also great with mushrooms, fresh green beans, or even Brussels sprouts. If you’re using mushrooms or Brussels sprouts, I recommend sautéing them with the sausage and then removing them from the pan (you can take the sausage out too) and keeping them covered with foil in a bowl. When the pasta finishes cooking, stir them back in. This will prevent them from completely overcooking. The green beans will cook in a similar amount of time as the asparagus if you like green beans crisp (I do!) but if you like them softer, add them in right away when you add the pasta so they have more cooking time.
What to serve with this pasta
Bread: As with any pasta, this recipe goes great with bread! Try it with dutch oven bread and bread dipping oil. Salad: Try a garden salad with whatever vegetables are in season, with one of our easy salad dressing recipes. Sweet finish: A sweet treat is always a welcome addition! Try snickerdoodle cookies or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
