Caramelized fennel, sausage browned with garlic and chilies, tossed with pasta for an easy weeknight pasta recipe!
This pasta proves that a recipe doesn't have to be complicated to be amazing!
This is slightly sweet from the caramelized fennel, spicy and garlicky from the sausage, and the chilies and garlic. A quick sauce made with some of the pasta water. Then it's topped with parmesan cheese and some save fennel fronds.
Ingredients.
Fennel - smaller bulbs seem to be more tender, but if you have a larger bulb, slice it thinner. Be sure and reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnishing at the end.
Vinegar and sugar - for caramelizing the fennel. You can use white wine vinegar or even apple cider vinegar.
Sausage - I've used all different kinds of sausage in this. To mimic the fennel flavor, regular fennel pork sausage is my number one choice. I've also used Italian sausage and chicken sausage.
Garlic and chilies - to give extra kick and spice to the pork sausage.
Pasta - Shell pasta which holds all the crumbled pork and fennel makes a good choice, but you can use whatever pasta shapes you have on hand.
This pasta recipe was excellent! You caramelize the fennel until it is almost like candy and it pairs so well with the pork sausage.
I believe that this was based on an old Donna Hay recipe, but I've been making it for so long, I can't remember!
More easy pasta recipes.
Recipe.
**As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sausage and Fennel Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound fennel chopped, reserve some fronds for garnish
- ½ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pounds pork sausage casing removed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 small red chillies finely chopped
- 1 pound shell pasta
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- parmesan cheese grated, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the fennel and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the vinegar and sugar and cook, stirring for about 7-8 minutes, or until it is caramelized.
- Place the fennel in a bowl and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the frying pan and add the sausage, garlic, and chiles. Cook, breaking up lumps for a bout 14-15 minutes. Add the fennel back to the pan with the rest of the vinegar and stir to combine.
- While the pork is cooking, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water, per package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water when draining. Add the pasta and pasta water to the pan and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide between plates and serve with the reserved fennel fronds as a garnish and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was published in 2015 and has been updated for 2024.
Laura says
I always assumed that the fennel seeds (i.e., spice) were the seeds for the fennel bulb! But to be honest I don't think I knew there was an herb fennel lol so now I am confused! One thing I am not confused about it this dish--I am not even the biggest fan of the licorice flavor of fennel, but I am fine with it in the right preparation and I can tell this is it!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
Fennel and sausage go SO well together! And I love that you've added them into a pasta. It feels light, fresh and easy - I'd say the perfect weeknight meal!
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
Fennel and sausage are a marriage made in heaven - such a great combination! Love this!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
Hmm... fennel is an iffy flavoring for me- in sausage I like it, outside of sausage not so much. But this looks absolutely delicious. I love the combination of sausage and pasta.
Christie says
I did not know that! I just thought the herb was the leafy top part of the fennel. I am going to hunt down a fennel herb plant! I absolutely adore the flavor of sausage and fennel together. I need to make this recipe very soon.
Catherine says
Dear Pam, this sounds delicious. I love fennel...I did not know there were two different kinds of fennel. Eitherway, it is a wonderful flavor and I love how you infused it in this dish. Pinned for later. xo, Catherine
Miz Helen says
We will really enjoy your Pasta, it looks awesome! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Ann says
Although I'm a big fan of licorice allsorts I can't stand the flavour in any other food or beverage. Gag worthy. Your past dish looks tasty though so I'd just swap out the fennel.
Kim says
Loved learning that there were two types of fennel. I definitely didn't know that before! I love the bulb fennel as well. I love it served raw and I love it caramelized like in this pasta recipe. Looks right up my alley:)
Amy @Very Culinary says
I love everything about this!
Marjie says
Fennel seeds are one of things that give sausage their flavor, so I add some to my red sauce when I don't have sausage (which is most of the time due to cardiac concerns). This looks like a great pasta dish!
Kayte says
Fantastic looking dish...we are big DH fans as well and I have been in a DH cooking group for a few years now that my friend Gaye (who is Australian) and I started up because we love her recipes so much and wanted to cook/bake them together. I love that she gives a photo for every recipe. I think I have a dozen of her books at this point. I am cooking from them more than any other chef. Interesting to know about fennel...I have never tried to grow it so I didn't think about the difference, I guess I figured that the seeds came from the fennel bulb plant somehow. Thanks for educating me. I will try this recipe soon.
Kirsten says
This is really weird, Pam, but I for the past 2 summers I've grown fennel that had a bulb at the bottom and fronts/seeds at the top. I got the original plant from Burpee, if it matters, but that plant provided both parts of fennel that I like (and fed some Black Swallowtail caterpillars at the same time). It somehow had babies growing up between the bricks of my patio that I transplanted into the garden last year for 4 more fennel plants--(though last fall I kinda forgot to pull the last 2 bulbs and they are now becoming compost for this summer's veggies).
I love the look of this dish--something simple that my family would enjoy.
Thanks!
Joanne says
I didn't realize they were actually two different kinds of plants! Learn something new every day...