Brown Butter Farfalle with Sweet Italian Sausage & Vegetables

This recipe is a delicious change from the typical red sauce for pasta, and comes together easily with little effort, but is so scrumptious and satisfying.  Browned butter adds a nutty taste to the dish and lots of flavor, this recipe is a great way to change up your pasta routine.  Fennel, tomatoes, and asparagus in this recipe help to make this dish a complete meal.  Here’s how to make it:

This recipe has bowtie farfalle pasta, diced tomatoes, fennel, thin asparagus, garlic, onion, sweet Italian sausage, parmesan cheese, and of course, browned butter.

Start by chopping the fennel and asparagus into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl and set aside.  Finely chop the fronds of the fennel and place in a separate bowl.  You can also use the tender parts of the fennel stalks.

Start a pot of boiling water for the pasta.  Place the sausage in a large pan and cook until browned and cooked through.  After sausage is thoroughly cooked, remove from pan, drain on paper towels, and set aside.  

Next, wipe out the pan used to cook the sausage and sauté 1 medium chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender and then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook just until fragrant.

Add in the fennel and asparagus and cook until crisp tender.  Then, add in 1  14 oz. can of rinsed and drained diced tomatoes and the fennel fronds, and toss until heated through.  

 Add the cooked sausage back into the pan and heat everything together and keep warm. Now, drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente.  In the mean time, start a small pan with 1 stick of butter and heat over medium heat until the butter starts to brown.  Keep an eye on it so it does not burn, but continue cooking until it is a rich brown color and has a nutty taste and aroma.

Drain the farfalle and place the sausage and vegetables into the pasta pot with the farfalle and toss to combine.  Next, pour in the browned butter and toss to coat the pasta and vegetables, and then stir in one cup a grated parmesan cheese until well incorporated. 

To serve, place in a bowl or plate and garnish with grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.  Enjoy and happy cooking!

Prep Time: 20 min.                                                   Cooking Time: 20 min

Difficulty: Easy                                                           Servings: 4-6

Ingredients: 

1  1 lb. box Farfalle (bowtie pasta)

1   pound sweet Italian sausage

1  tablespoon olive oil

1   medium onion chopped

2  cloves garlic minced

1  med bulb fennel cut into 1 inch pieces fronds chopped and kept separate

1  bunch of thin asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths

1  14 oz. can of diced tomatoes rinsed and drained

1  stick salted butter (browned)

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

salt & pepper to taste

1 bunch fresh parsley chopped