Happy Monday and hello from the other side of the weekend – how are you? ?
We had a great last couple of days, and finally got our Christmas decorations up! Actually, Lincoln’s elf on the shelf “Penny” assembled the tree late Friday night, which rendered him equal parts terrified and delighted when he came downstairs on Saturday morning. I don’t think he loves the idea of a tiny elf creeping around his house while he sleeps every night, but the smile on his face when he saw the decorations was priceless.
I’ll tell you what does have a price though – a new tree topper. I’ve always used a santa hat to top the tree, which matches our red and white velvet tree skirt, but Lincoln thought Penny brought him a matching hat, and how could I tell him otherwise? “Why did he put it on top of the tree, Mom?” Because Mommy wasn’t thinking, dear! ?
Later that morning I said goodbye to the boys and met up with two of my favorite Iowa bloggers and people, Alexa and Bethany, for a long coffee date. We lost track of time talking shop, babies, health, and more. Note to self: spend more Saturday mornings with friends. Weekend chores can wait – that was really good for my soul.
Totally unrelated but have you tried cutting out paper snowflakes anytime in the last two decades? I had to google directions AND text a crafty friend when I just could not. figure. it. out. Total shame fest. I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen when Lincoln needs help with his math homework in 10 years. ?
Anyway, we woke up to a light dusting of snow on Sunday so we had a snow day playing outside (well, Lincoln and Ben did!) making homemade Chex Mix, watching Christmas movies (how creepy are the elves in The Polar Express?!) and playing with this jolly elf. Finally managed to catch his little sideways smile on camera. I am so loving the infant stage this time around. If you need me at any point during the day, you can usually find me inhaling the sweet scent of his little face!
I also took some time to photograph the recipe I’m sharing with you today – 20 Minute Sausage, Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Pasta! Actually it almost feels like cheating calling this a “recipe” because it’s so simple and straightforward. Regardless, it goes from fridge to table in 20 minutes or less making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Cooked pasta is tossed with browned Italian sweet sausage, sauteed brussels sprouts, a nearly-offensive amount of garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese, and tons of cracked black pepper. It’s kind of a mash up of cacio e pepe, this dish, and this dish. Simple, familiar flavors in a hearty and filling dish. I totally dig it.
The best part of this recipe is that there’s zero prep work involved so you can keep your knife and cutting board put away. The couple of times I tested this dish I found myself standing in the kitchen tapping my foot waiting for the water to boil because there’s nothing to slice and dice, including the brussels sprouts because I used a bag of pre-shredded from the store. Easy!
I used gluten-free spaghetti but you could use whatever pasta you already have in the house. I also think this dish would be fantastic with zucchini noodles but first read the tips in this post to make sure you don’t end up with soggy zoodles. Talk about the real nightmare before Christmas!
Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, add 8oz sweet Italian sausage and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to a large, 12″ skillet over heat that’s just a touch above medium. Brown the sausage, breaking it into big chunks as it cooks. I tested this recipe breaking the sausage down to the texture of ground beef and it was kind of strange texture-wise in the final dish. I liked being able to bite into big pieces.
Scoop the sausage onto a plate and set aside, then drop the pasta into the water to cook until it’s just a touch under al dente. Just a heads up, don’t drain the pasta cooking water after it’s done cooking – you’ll use it to create a thin sauce for the dish!
Next heat 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in the skillet then add 9oz shredded brussels sprouts (that’s 1 bag of the Green Giant brand pre-shredded sprouts,) 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less,) and salt and pepper. Saute until the sprouts are golden brown and tender, 3-4 minutes, then add 3 cloves minced garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
Last step is to use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta from the pot to the skillet, then add the cooked sausage, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add enough pasta cooking water to the skillet to melt the parmesan cheese and create a light, thin sauce.
Add a TON of freshly cracked black pepper then taste and add more salt if necessary, too. Swirl onto plates then top with more parmesan cheese before digging in. I hope you love this hearty, quick and easy weeknight pasta dish! Enjoy!
free email bonus!
5 Day Clean Eating Guide
Fresh and craveable recipes + healthy eating tips!
Sausage, Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Pasta
Description
20 Minute Sausage, Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Pasta will be on the table in no time. A filling and flavorful gluten-free dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/2lb gluten-free spaghetti
- 8oz sweet Italian sausage (I like Johnsonville)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + a few drizzles
- 9oz shredded brussels sprouts
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large, 12” skillet over heat that’s just a touch above medium. Add sausage then brown, breaking it up as it cooks but taking care not to break the sausage up into too small of crumbles. Scoop sausage onto a plate then set aside.
- Drop pasta into salted, boiling water then cook until it’s just under al dente - pasta will continue to cook a little bit in the skillet later. DO NOT DRAIN PASTA WATER when pasta is done cooking.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in the skillet then add brussels sprouts and red chili pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the brussels sprout are tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 1 more minute or until very fragrant.
- Using tongs, transfer spaghetti from pot to skillet then add parmesan cheese and cooked sausage. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and enough pasta cooking water to help the parmesan cheese melt and evenly coat the pasta. Taste then season with salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper, and then serve.
Notes
- I used one bag of Green Giant pre-shredded brussels sprouts for this recipe.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Awwww your photos, how cute! I love the personal touch you always give to your posts, it makes it so much more fun to read. I love brussels sprouts and this looks totally delicious!
Thanks for saying that Vivian! I like sharing little tidbits too!
A- the pasta looks fab! Can’t wait to make it!
And B.- Isn’t infant stage, round 2 sooooooo much better?? I DID NOT like it with my 1st, but relished EVERY SECOND the 2nd time around❤️❤️❤️ (and 17 months later, so far enjoying ALL stages more?)
So. Much. Better. Everything is so much more relaxed and less frantic this time around!! ??
I do this but with kale instead of brussel sprouts. Its one of our favorite quick and easy meals :)
That sounds awesome – I’ll have to try that! :)
Can’t wait to try this! I love how simple, easy and delicious all your recipes are. Your blog is my favorite! I’m going to make this with spaghetti squash I think.
I think that’s a fantastic idea, Emmaline!
yummmmy! Anything with freshly grated Parmesan wins in my heart!!
Now THIS sounds like my kind of winter comfort meal! And pish…there is NO amount of garlic that can offend me! :D
You know, we went grocery shopping last night, but it was a totally uninspired shopping trip and we ended up just getting a bunch of “stuff” that we can throw together for quick meals. That said, I’m definitely stopping back at the store tonight to get the ingredients to throw this together instead. Drooling already!
Made this, AGAIN, last night. Third time in two months. No shame. Added mushrooms this time. And ate it over spinach & romaine, with a drizzle of Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic. So, SOOOO good!
Yuuuum! Love the addition of mushrooms especially!
This looks de-lish!!!! So good to hear you and the fam are doing well too:)
I LOVE THE NEW FORMAT…I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG YOU’VE HAD IT LIKE THIS BUT IT’S NEW TO ME…!!!
Thank you, Carol!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious!!! Kids gave it a thumbs up too! I’m new to this whole GF thing… I need all the help I can get! Thank you ?
Oh so glad to hear the kids liked it, Melanie! If you find you’re struggling with your GF diet, I have an ebook that can help! http://iowagirleats.com/gluten-free-for-beginners/
Do you have the number of calories in this re pies per serving
Hi Rose! I don’t calculate nutrition information for my recipes but recommend Livestrong’s recipe calculator tool if you need that info! http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/create/
Bet this would be good with Spaghetti squash. Gotta try this!
OMG This looks so good!
Do you think this recipe will work w spaghetti squash? It looks delicious, but I need to watch my carb consumption!?
I think it’d be super good!
Made this tonight with regular pasta and the shredded Brussels from TJs. Such an easy comfort food. Thanks!
You bet, Lauren! So glad you enjoyed!
Just have to tell you that I made this recipe last night and it was fantastic. My husband said it’s the best pasta I’ve ever made. Thanks for helping me impress him! :)
That is so awesome, Kristina! Thank you so much for letting me know! :)
I made this last night and we loved it! So simple and quick to make. My husband and 1 year old daughter both ate it too! I think it would be good with mushrooms in it too!
Yes! That sounds delicious!
This sounds really good! However, I try to follow a low carb diet. What do you think I could sub in for pasta? I’ve been using cauliflower rice for a lot of things, but would that be weird with the Brussels Sprouts?
You could do a spiralized vegetable instead of the pasta – parsnip would be good!
[…] out Iowagirleats.com for this and […]
Amazing! Healthy, delicious, and fast – all the components of a great week night dinner. Thank you so much for sharing! <3
[…] View full ingredients and cooking method on iowagirleats.com. […]
Can you recommend any good vegetarian sausage to use instead? Or perhaps a brand of sweet Italian chicken? I don’t eat pork.
Hi Zena! I’m not sure about the vegetarian sausage, but any link chicken sausage would be really good in here. I know Trader Joe’s has several varieties, as does the brand Aidell’s. I hope that helps!
I made this the other day and it was delicious. The only critique I have is it doesn’t state to drain off the drippings from browning the sausage, so I didn’t and the dish was a little greasy. But I will certainly make it again (this time draining the drippings) because the overall flavor was wonderful.
[…] This seasonal pasta recipe made with browned Italian sausage, crispy Brussels sprouts, and tons of garlic just screams descend. You can easily add more veggies and lose the sausage to develop this meal meatless. rep the recipe. […]
[…] This seasonal pasta recipe made with browned Italian sausage, crispy Brussels sprouts, and tons of garlic simply screams fall. You possibly can simply add extra veggies and lose the sausage to make this meal meatless. Get the recipe. […]
[…] This seasonal pasta recipe made with browned Italian sausage, crispy Brussels sprouts, and tons of garlic just screams tumble. You can easily add more veggies and lose the sausage to develop this meal meatless. fetch the recipe. […]
[…] This seasonal pasta recipe made with browned Italian sausage, crispy Brussels sprouts, and tons of garlic just screams fall. You can easily add more veggies and lose the sausage to make this meal meatless. Get the recipe. […]
Really good and easy! I found that it took closer to 40 minutes to make with grating and prepping everything, also next time I would double the amount of brussel sprouts.
This was awesome. My husband got seconds (which says a lot) and my 11 year old daughter loved it to. I used Johnsonville New Orleans Andouille Smoked Sausage because that is what I had on hand. I used regular spaghetti because again, that’s what I had in the pantry. You can not go wrong with this recipe. I will definately fix it again.
Made this and added some sundried tomatoes for brightness. Absolutely incredible!
Wow, my wife and I tried this last night and it was delicious! Going to try it again replacing the BS with Mushrooms!
So glad to hear it, Stan! Thanks for your feedback and recipe rating!
Great recipe but holy moly having to scroll through that novel at the beginning was annoying.
There’s a green “jump to recipe” button at the top of every page if you want to skip right to the recipe! 👍🏻
So good! So quick!
[…] 2. 20 Minute Sausage, Brussels Sprouts, and Parmesan Pasta […]
I’d like to make this ahead of time. Would it be better to make it in the afternoon and keep it in the oven on warm? Or chill it in the fridge and re-heat for dinner? Thanks
[…] Wednesday |Sausage, Brussels and Parmesan Pasta – Recipe HERE […]
Great recipe and very easy to swap out different ingredients depending on tastes or what you have on hand. Last night I did a riff on this with chopped bacon and finely sliced snap peas instead of the brussels, always tasty!
One of the best recipes I’ve found online! Perfect as is. (That being said- I’m making it right now and adding mushrooms).
We have never liked brussels sprouts but I really want to because I know they are so good for you. This recipe was an absolute hit with both of us. We loved it! We both had seconds.
My wife found this recipe when we had some things to use up from our larder.
I had to make a couple of hacks on it, but I don’t think I violated the spirit of it –
* used link Italian sausage cut into coins
* had fresh Brussels sprouts, which I cut into halves or quarters as necessary
* added about a half cooking onion, sliced thinly across its equator and browned just before the sprouts
* used regular wheat linguini for the pasta (since neither of us has any issues with gluten)
* had to used grated Parmesan cheese instead of fresh grated
* finally (because I had the luxury of a few things left in our garden) I added a bit of chopped fennel frond to garnish each plate
Results? DELISH!! We will be sure to eat this again!
Hi Kristin! What GF spaghetti do you use?
I like Barilla GF pasta or, if you live in the Midwest, HyVee GF pasta is great too!