Ingredients (~6-8 servings)
- 12 oz dry spaghetti
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 lbs mild or hot Italian sausage, about 5 links, removed from casing
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 6 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Cook the Spaghetti and Reserve Pasta Water
Cook the 12 oz of spaghetti in well-salted water according to package directions.
Before draining, reserve 3/4 cup of the starchy pasta water – this is what helps the sauce stick to the pasta later.
The pasta water should look cloudy and taste like mild seawater when you’re cooking the pasta.
Brown the Sausage in Butter
While the spaghetti is cooking, melt the 3 Tbsp of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.
Add the 1 1/2 lbs of sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with a wooden spoon until no longer pink and lightly browned, ~10-12 minutes.
You want to break it up into bite-sized pieces – not too fine, but not huge chunks either.
Build the Cream Sauce
To the pan with the browned sausage, add the 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water.
Bring to a simmer and let it slightly thicken for ~2-3 minutes.
The sauce will coat the back of a spoon when it’s ready.
Add Spinach and Lemon Zest
Stir in the 6 cups of packed spinach and 1 1/2 Tbsp of lemon zest and cook just until the spinach wilts, ~1-2 minutes.
The spinach will look like a lot at first but will shrink down quickly once it hits the hot cream.
Combine Everything and Finish
Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce.
Stir in the 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning – add salt and pepper as needed.
If the sauce looks too thick, stir in the remaining reserved pasta water a little at a time until it coats the pasta nicely.
Serve immediately while the cheese is still melting and the pasta is hot.
Lemon Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6-8 servings)
- 12 oz dry spaghetti
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 lbs mild or hot Italian sausage about 5 links, removed from casing
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 6 cups baby spinach leaves packed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook 12 oz spaghetti in salted water according to package directions and reserve 3/4 cup pasta water before draining.
- While pasta cooks, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.
- Add 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage removed from casings and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to the sausage.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in 6 cups packed baby spinach and 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and cook until spinach wilts, 1-2 minutes.
- Add cooked spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat.
- Stir in 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add remaining pasta water if needed to thin sauce.
- Serve immediately.
