Brussels Sprouts Pasta with Field Roast Italian Sausage
Brussels Sprouts are among the most polarizing of veggies – people either love ’em or hate ’em.
I’m a self-confessed Brussels Sprouts lover, but have often resorted to cheese and dairy enhancements to get my carnivores to enjoy them.
This week, I stumbled on an interesting idea by Kay Chun in Food & Wine that paired the sprouts with pork sausage, and thought her recipe had the potential for being completely revamped as a vegan pasta dish.
My recipe is super fast, very simple, and was an unqualified success – even with my hubby who has gone from being a Brussels Sprouts hater to a Brussels Sprouts tolerator.
It marries fresh Brussels Sprouts, sliced thin and sautéed in olive oil with garlic, and then softened further with the addition of dry white wine. The Italian part comes from the Field Roast Italian Sausages and the whole grain spaghetti. Look ma, no cheese!
And for those of you who still protest that Field Roast’s delicious vegan sausages are “processed”, I recognize every ingredient used by Field Roast as real food, not chemicals. In addition to the seitan (the 2000 year old gluten-based ‘grain meat,’ I’ve written about before), Field Roast uses eggplant, onions, garlic, red wine, red bell pepper, and fennel to round out the flavor and make their sausage a dead ringer for Italian Sausage – but without the cholesterol and fat.
Whether you are a Brussels Sprouts lover or hater – I hope you give this dish a try!
- 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. fresh Brussels Sprouts, bottoms removed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 package Field Roast Italian Sausages, casings removed and either coarsely chopped or crumbled
- 1 lb. whole grain spaghetti or thin spaghetti
- 1-2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread
- ¾ cup Ian's Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives
- 2 Tablespoons minced flat leaf Italian parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the prepared Brussels Sprouts for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté another minute before adding the white wine. Let it cook over low heat for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your Brussels Sprouts. (My hubby claims that he has a "Southern Tongue" so he likes them a lot softer than I do.)
- In the last few minutes of cooking the Brussels Sprouts, mix in the Field Roast Sausage pieces, just to heat them through.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 Tablespoons of kosher salt, and cook the spaghetti or thin spaghetti until al dente according to package directions.
- Reserve one cup of starchy pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander.
- Combine the pasta and the Brussels Sprouts, adding some of the pasta water. (I generally use about ½ cup of pasta water.)
- Add the vegan butter, panko, chives, parsley, pepper, and mix thoroughly.
- Taste and correct seasoning. Sprinkle a little more panko on the top of each serving.
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