Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Fennel
By Bryan RoofPublished on August 2, 2012
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 6 medium garlic cloves, minced and pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)½ teaspoon red pepper flakes Table salt 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored, and sliced thin½ cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (see note)2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti (see photo below)1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about ½ cup)
Before You Begin
Chop the basil at the last possible moment to prevent it from discoloring.
Instructions
- Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl; set aside.
- Heat sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring to break sausage into ½-inch pieces, until browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate, leaving rendered fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add fennel and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Push fennel to sides of skillet to create 3-inch clearing; add oil-garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir to combine garlic mixture with fennel and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove skillet from heat and stir in sausage, pine nuts, basil, and lemon juice.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup pasta cooking water, drain pasta, and return pasta to Dutch oven.
- Add sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced and pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Table salt
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored, and sliced thin
½ cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (see note)
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti (see photo below)
1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about ½ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced and pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Table salt
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored, and sliced thin
½ cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (see note)
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti (see photo below)
1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about ½ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced and pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Table salt
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 medium fennel bulb, halved, cored, and sliced thin
½ cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (see note)
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti (see photo below)
1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about ½ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to create a whole wheat pasta sauce recipe that would provide just the right complement to the hearty flavor and firm texture of whole-wheat spaghetti. We found that a boldly flavored sauce made with sausage and chunks of sautéed fennel provides a nice counterpoint to the whole-wheat pasta’s hearty texture. Starch from some added pasta liquid thickens the sauce and helps it cling to the spaghetti. A sprinkling of freshly grated Pecorino Romano, which our tasters preferred to the more subtle Parmesan, adds a salty tang to a simply sauced whole-wheat spaghetti recipe.
Before You Begin
Chop the basil at the last possible moment to prevent it from discoloring.
Instructions
- Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl; set aside.
- Heat sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring to break sausage into ½-inch pieces, until browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate, leaving rendered fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add fennel and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Push fennel to sides of skillet to create 3-inch clearing; add oil-garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir to combine garlic mixture with fennel and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove skillet from heat and stir in sausage, pine nuts, basil, and lemon juice.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup pasta cooking water, drain pasta, and return pasta to Dutch oven.
- Add sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.
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