Winter Pasta with Sausage Fennel (Printable)

A warming Italian pasta combining sweet fennel, savory sausage, and light aromatic sauce—ready in 20 minutes for cold nights.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 ounces short pasta such as penne, rigatoni, or fusilli

→ Sausage

02 - 9 ounces Italian sausage, sweet or spicy variety, casings removed, or plant-based sausage alternative

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

03 - 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
04 - 1 small onion, thinly sliced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce and Seasoning

06 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1/4 cup dry white wine, optional
08 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing

10 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving, or vegetarian alternative
11 - Fresh fennel fronds or Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. Set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon, and cook until deeply browned and cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
03 - Add remaining olive oil to the skillet. Sauté sliced fennel and onion with a small pinch of salt until softened and lightly golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour white wine into the skillet if using. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid mostly evaporates.
05 - Return cooked sausage to the skillet. Add red pepper flakes if desired and stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
06 - Add drained pasta and reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss continuously to coat the pasta evenly. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
07 - Transfer pasta immediately to serving bowls or plates. Top with chopped fennel fronds or fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese. Serve while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in 20 minutes but tastes like you've been stirring a pot all afternoon.
  • Fennel's natural sweetness balances the sausage without any cream or heavy sauce—just pasta water and olive oil doing the magic.
  • One skillet, one pot, which means less scrubbing and more time to relax after dinner.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water—that starchy liquid is what transforms olive oil into a sauce that actually clings to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Slice the fennel thin, almost paper-thin if your knife skills allow, because thick pieces stay tough while thin ones melt into the dish and release all their sweetness.
03 -
  • If you don't have white wine, skip it rather than substituting with vinegar—the dish works beautifully without it, and vinegar changes the flavor in ways you might not want.
  • Make this in winter when fennel is in season and tastes sweetest, or in spring when it's tender and bright—summer fennel can be tougher and more fibrous.
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