A quick, flavour-packed weeknight pasta with savoury sausage meat, sweet dried cranberries, and golden toasted pine nuts. Ready in under 30 minutes and genuinely one of those recipes the whole family keeps asking for.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 600kcal
Cost 7
Ingredients
450gsausage meator 6 good quality pork sausages, skins removed
75gdried cranberries
40gpine nuts
400gtricolore fusilli or pasta of your choice
5tbspextra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
400 g tricolore fusilli or pasta of your choice
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat and break it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until browned all over , around 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat if needed.
450 g sausage meat
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the pine nuts and dried cranberries to the pan with the sausage. Stir well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the pine nuts are golden and the cranberries have softened slightly. Watch the pine nuts carefully as they can burn quickly.
40 g pine nuts, 75 g dried cranberries
Add the drained pasta to the pan along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss everything together well until the pasta is coated. Add more olive oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Serve immediately, with a grating of Parmesan if you like.
Salt and black pepper to taste
Notes
Italian-style fennel sausages work beautifully here if you can find them.
Stir through a couple of handfuls of baby spinach at the end for added greens.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, reheat in a pan with a splash of olive oil.