Veggie Fennel Sausage & Broccoli Pasta

I have an obsession with Italian fennel sausages and luckily, it's quite easy to flavour frozen veggies sausages with the same ingredients as the real deal to make a vegetarian-friendly version. I used my veggie version in the classic pasta of fennel sausage & broccoli pasta. The broccoli breaks down to make a sauce and the sausage gives you bites of salty flavour. SO GOOD.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Once hot, add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden (around 5 minutes). Add the fennel seed and chilli flakes, stir for 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile add the pasta and broccoli to a medium pot of well-salted, boiling water. Leave to cook until the pasta is al dente (for me this was about 10 minutes).

Step 3

Break up the defrosted veggie sausages into small chunks and add to the frying pan along with 1 more tablespoon of oil. Mash with the back of your spoon to break the sausage up and fry it for around 5 minutes, stirring often, to allow the sausage to brown and crisp up a bit.

Step 4

Clear a space in the frying pan and pour the remaining tablespoon of oil here. Add the garlic to the oil and allow to cook for 1-2 mins until starting to turn golden. Once this happens, stir it in. Add a splash of pasta water to the frying pan and use your spoon to scrape up any golden bits from the base of the pan.

Step 5

Once the pasta is al-dente and the broccoli is cooked, remove the broccoli from the pot using tongs or a slotted spoon – it should be pretty soft at this point which will help it break down to form a bit of a sauce. Roughly chop the broccoli and add to the frying pan.

Step 6

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta to the frying pan too (or drain the pasta in a colander, reserving a mugful of pasta water, then add to the pan) and stir through, adding a splash of pasta water as needed to help make a saucy texture. Add the cheese and lemon juice, stir through and taste to check the seasoning. Add extra salt and some pepper as needed. Divide between 2 bowls and eat!

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