brussels sprout, sausage & walnut rigatoni.

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this is a fairly simple pasta dish that is bulked up with lots of green goodness by way of the mighty little brussels sprout. a savory sausaugey & cheesy pasta always sounds quite delicious to me, but can also be so so heavy and feel like a total gut bomb!

the brussels sprouts plus the walnuts serve as a sort of soffritto here (which is usually carrot, celery & onion), the base ingredients and flavors of this dish. the brussels bring an earthy, light & bright component while the walnuts add a nice soft crunch in the overall texture.

while the bulk of this dish is green brussels-heavy, they truly melt away and become disguised by the savory sausage. pete and i are (embarrassingly?) big fans of a straight up jimmy dean hot sausage log. it’s so versatile! we use the jimmy log and dress it up in so many ways - pastas, breakfast sandwiches, tacos, potato-ey dishes, etc. it’s just been an all-around easy to utilize pork product in our household. thank ya, jimbo.

the best part of this experience is that the brussels, sausage & walnut crumbles sneak down into the rigatoni tubes for a nice little tasty treasure trove in every bite. this combo would also be great with a different fat noodle like paccheri, or even pappardelle!

Brussels Sprout, Sausage and Walnut Rigatoni

Serves 3-4

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. rigatoni

  • 1 lb. brussels sprouts (10-12 medium sized brussels), finely chopped

  • 2 cups walnuts, well chopped

  • 6 oz. ground sausage (Italian style or breakfast style, etc)

  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped

  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced or grated

  • juice of half a lemon

  • 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano, plus extra

  • crushed red chili flakes

  • salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions-

Prepare all ingredients by chopping the shallot, garlic, Brussels sprouts, walnuts and grating the parmesan.

In a large skillet or heavy bottomed Dutch oven, cook the sausage on medium heat until browned, using a wooden spoon to break down into small crumbles. Don’t remove any excess oil as it will help to coat the brussels.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dry rigatoni and cook as long as instructed on the package, leaving the noodles slightly al dente. (When the noodles are done, be sure to reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the noodles, or simply use a large slotted spoon to lift the noodles from the water and into the skillet with the cooked brussels, sausage & walnut mixture. You will use the remaining pasta water as needed to make everything saucy.)

While the pasta is cooking, add the chopped shallot and garlic to the sausage skillet, tossing to incorporate. Add the finely chopped Brussels sprouts and season with a generous pinch of salt, tossing and cooking everything until softened, 3-5 minutes.

Squeeze in the juice of half or a whole lemon to deglaze the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits of fond that have stuck to the pan. A couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar or a dry white wine would be another nice option for deglazing the pan if you don’t prefer a lemony flavor.

Add the chopped walnuts, mixing everything to incorporate all ingredients and soften the walnuts, 2-3 minutes. Add 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red chili flake, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, tossing to coat.

Once the pasta is cooked and lifted into the skillet or Dutch oven, alternate between adding a splash of the pasta cooking liquid and a handful of grated parmesan, stirring well between additions to create a saucy emulsion. The rigatoni should be catching the crumbled sausage mixture inside each noodle tube :) Taste for salt and add as desired.

Once the pasta seems well coated, glossy and no longer clinging to itself, serve into a bowl, grating more fresh parmesan cheese over top, freshly ground black pepper and red chili flakes.

Enjoy immediately!

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