This simple pasta recipe has been a favorite of mine for years! My mom used to make it with peas, but my hubs hates peas so we replaced peas with asparagus and it’s even better! The simple olive oil and parmesan are a perfect complement to the Italian sausage, mushrooms and bow tie pasta. Seriously a perfect filling weeknight meal!
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Simple swaps for any diet…
Can I make this gluten free?
Yes! this is the easiest recipe to make gluten free and I’ve done it many times. I simply swap out the pasta for gluten free pasta. My favorite brand is Banza (in the orange box), but I’ve also made it with the brown rice pasta from Trader Joe’s. Delicious!
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes! Again, a really easy swap will make this recipe vegetarian. Simple omit the Italian sausage or replace with your favorite vegetable. My favorite swap for this is zucchini and yellow squash, turning this into a perfect fall meal.
Ingredients for perfect weeknight pasta…
Bow tie pasta – this is my preference, but you can use any small to medium sized pasta you prefer. I’ve also loved this recipe with a gluten free pasta. My favorite is the Banza chickpea pasta.
Asparagus – is there anything better than fresh asparagus? I love it with a little bit of a crunch and some salt and butter. Mmmmm.
Mushrooms – I prefer standard pre-sliced mushrooms. Any way you can save time in the kitchen, right?
Parmesan – freshly grated parmesan elevates any meal, but on this pasta, it’s almost the star.
To make this fresh pasta, simply…
Grab a large pot, and bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. (Complete the following steps while waiting for water to boil and cooking pasta so the pasta doesn’t sit for too long.) Cook pasta to al dente, drain and return to pot. Set aside.
While water is heating, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat, add Italian sausage and cook until golden brown, breaking up lumps.
Pour sausage into a large bowl. Set aside.
Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into pan, add mushrooms. Sauté until the liquid from the mushrooms have evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Pour mushrooms into the bowl with the sausage.
Side note: cooking each ingredient separately helps the flavors of each ingredient stay true and delicious. But if you’re short on time, feel free to cook them all together!
Add another 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into sauté pan, add chopped asparagus. Cook until bright green, but not soggy. Pour asparagus into the same bowl with the sausage and mushrooms.
To the pasta, add 1/2 C olive oil, salt and pepper and the bowl of sausage, mushrooms and asparagus. Top it all off with plenty of parmesan, and serve extra alongside finished pasta.
Serve straight from the pot along with crusty bread and extra olive oil and parmesan on the side.
ENJOY! You’ve got yourself a healthy, filling weeknight meal that the whole family will love (OK, let’s be honest, the kids might pick around the veggies, but I love serving my kids something new—you never know what they’ll love!)
Love this weeknight pasta dinner recipe? Try these other easy weeknight meals!
If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a photo to share, tagging @theovenlight and #theovenlight on Instagram or Facebook!
Simple Bow Tie Pasta with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- 10 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1 bunch asparagus chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 lb farfalle (bow tie) pasta or GF alternative
- 1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente, drain and return to pot. Set aside.
- While water is heating, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat, add Italian sausage and cook until golden brown, breaking up lumps.
- Pour sausage into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into pan, add mushrooms. Sauté until the liquid from the mushrooms have evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Pour mushrooms into the bowl with the sausage.
- Add another 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into sauté pan, add chopped asparagus. Cook until bright green, but not soggy. Pour asparagus into the same bowl with the sausage and mushrooms.
- To the pasta, add 1/2 C olive oil, salt and pepper and the bowl of sausage, mushrooms and asparagus. Top it off with parmesan.
- Serve straight from the pot along with crusty bread and extra olive oil on the side.
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