Lamb Pasta with Springtime Veggies & Lemon Pesto

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 pound spicy lamb sausage, below

1/2 cup lemon basil pesto, below

8 ounces orecchiette or short pasta of choice

4 ounces shelled English peas (about 2/3 cup), can sub frozen peas – see Recipe Notes

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 1/2 pounds asparagus &/or broccolini, woody ends trimmed & chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 ounces baby spinach

kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

for serving, as desired: fresh basil leaves, grated parmesan, crushed red pepper, etc.

1/2 pound New Zealand grass-fed ground lamb

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1/2 lemon, zested & juiced

heaping 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

heaping 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

heaping 1/2 teaspoon paprika

up to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

1 1/4 ounces fresh basil leaves & tender stems (about 1 cup loosely packed)

4 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon, zested & juiced

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

2 tablespoons pine nuts

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

Directions

Mix the spicy lamb sausage

Combine all listed ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper, as desired. Use your hands to mix just until combined – take care to avoid over-mixing. Set aside to rest while you prep the other lamb pasta components. This is a great time to bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta (see Step 3, below), chop the veggies according to the Ingredients List above, & prep the lemon pesto (see Step 2, below). Alternatively, you can transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep the lemon basil pesto

Place all listed ingredients except olive oil in a food processor. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Pulse to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed. With the processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until your desired consistency is reached. Set aside, or transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Boil the pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water. Add the pasta. Stirring often, cook to al dente according to package directions. About 2 minutes before al dente is reached, add the fresh peas to the pot to blanch as the pasta finishes cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta & set aside.

Brown the

spicy lamb sausage: Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add in the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into fine, bite-sized crumbles as it cooks. The sausage should render & brown nicely – if it starts to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned sausage to a plate & set aside. Drain & discard any excess fat.

Cook the aromatics & spring veggies

(This is a great time to drop your pasta & cook according to Step 3, above.) Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot & shimmering, add the yellow onion. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened & translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic & cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the asparagus or broccolini to the skillet, stirring to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 minutes longer.

Build the lamb pasta

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Add the lemon basil pesto from Step 2 to the skillet, along with the baby spinach. Add the pasta & blanched peas over top – the hot pasta will begin to wilt the spinach & loosen up the lemon basil pesto – along with the browned lamb sausage from Step 1 & toss to combine. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the lamb pasta needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld & absorb some of the lemon pesto sauce.

Serve

Portion the lemon pesto lamb pasta into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan & chopped fresh herbs as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 462
• Total Fat: 25.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 6.8 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg
• Sodium: 335.3 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 44.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.4 g
• Total Sugars: 6.1 g
• Protein: 18.2 g