Skip to main content
Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Pasta With Sausage and Arugula

By Anna Stockwell

4.9

(25)

Gemelli pasta tossed with caramelized red onion and arugula on ceramic plate.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

Arugula is one of those rare salad greens we can also get down with hot, like when it’s tossed with pasta, piled on top of pizza, or scattered into stew. Be sure to keep a box of it in the fridge all winter long.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 small red onions, sliced into 1/2"-thick wedges
1 fennel bulb, sliced into 1/2"-thick wedges
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
8 oz. hot or sweet Italian sausage (about 2 links), casings removed
10 oz. gemelli, casarecce, or other medium pasta
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 cups baby arugula
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss onions, fennel, and 2 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread out into a single layer. Pinch sausage into small pieces and scatter around onions and fennel. Roast until vegetables and sausage are cooked through and well browned, 25–30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

    Step 3

    Combine vegetables, sausage, and pasta in a large bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining 4 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid and toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce comes together and coats pasta. Toss in arugula.

    Step 4

    Divide pasta among plates and top with Parmesan. Season with more salt and pepper.

TagsPastaItalianEuropeanRed OnionOnionRoot VegetableVegetableFennelSausageMeatArugulaLeafy GreensMainDinnerNut FreeEasyWeeknight MealsSheet-Pan DinnersRoastBon Appétit

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Spaghetti With Cabbage, Pancetta, and Calabrian Chile
Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Caramelized Onion Pasta
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Sheet-Pan Sausage With Corn, Peach, and Cucumber Salad
This summery sheet-pan dinner celebrates the bounty of the season and couldn't be simpler to make. Chorizo plays nicely with the salad, thanks to its spice.
Charred Vegetable Ragù
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Halloumi Lasagna
In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.
Sofrito Bolognese
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.
Stir-Fried Phở Noodles With Beef
This dish is not only a quick meal option but also a practical way to use leftover phở noodles when you’re out of broth.