Asparagus and Sausage Pasta
Updated May 11, 2026
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Ready In
- 40 min
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt
1 pound fusilli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 large shallots, coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ cups frozen peas, not thawed
1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup basil leaves, torn if large
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the sausage and cook, breaking into smaller pieces and stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and stir until fragrant and softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and peas, season with salt, and stir until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Use the moisture from the vegetables to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and finely grate the zest of half the lemon over the sausage and vegetables. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
- Step 3
Add 1 cup pasta water, the pasta, and the butter to the Dutch oven. Set over medium and stir vigorously until the pasta is coated. Add more pasta water as needed until glossy.
- Step 4
Off the heat, add the juice from half the lemon and stir to combine. Stir in the basil, then taste for salt and lemon and season as desired. Top servings with Parmesan, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I made the recipe again for dinner this evening. I found morels in the market this morning, which I immediately bought. I added the morels after the sausage and onions were fried, along with the asparagus and peas. I remembered the cheese this evening, too—and the result was mouth-watering. It is a perfect recipe for spring.
Thank you for recipes that use a full box of pasta,
Loved this meal. Used impossible meat, which worked well. Makes a lot of food!
Didn't have basil; so I subbed in arugula. Didn't have a fresh lemon either so I subbed lemon pepper - a goodly amount. Delish!
Decent but not stellar recipe on its own. If following the recipe exactly, it will taste a bit bland. Need to use the zest and juice of a very large lemon, and add additional spices like black pepper and more salt at the end. I also added half a teaspoon of MSG, which helped significantly.
Agree with Bee, deglazing with white wine or stock would be great before adding the veggies. Made this with sliced snow peas and they were a great swap for regular peas. Added 4 oz of mascarpone with the pasta water and it helped everything come together. Also recommend serving with crushed chili flakes.