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One Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, and Sausage Pasta. This sausage pasta is made in 30 minutes, uses just one pot, and is a great way to use up that springtime asparagus. It’s made with spicy Italian chicken sausage, packed asparagus, is a touch garlicky, and finished with green olives and fresh basil. Perfect quick-cooking pasta that’s great for both late spring and summer nights. Everyone in the house will enjoy this cozy yet vibrant pasta, and the leftovers the following day are delicious.
The truth? A lot of times I make a recipe with a certain person in mind. It can be a sibling, a friend, anyone really. But I have the most fun creating recipes with others in mind. It allows me to step outside my own zone and think about what the other person would enjoy. It keeps things fun, fresh, and creative for me.
This pasta is a combination of two people and they both have very different flavor pallets. My oldest brother, Creighton, and my sister-in-law, Lyndsie.
Creighton is the person I turn to when I need a good meat-based recipe or something fun, cheesy, and more times than not, extra saucy. Creighton is all about the sauce. He loves his old school favorites like chicken fingers. tater tot casserole, or gyros with extra tzatziki sauce.
Lynd’s on the other hand? She is the complete opposite. Lyndsie loves vegetables and wants everything to be heavy on the herbs. She tosses in out-there ingredients and loves her cheese and lemons. In general, she’s all about vegetable-forward recipes with plenty of flavor and color.
These two could not be more different, yet this pasta is mash-up of what each of them loves most.
The details you need to know about this one pot pasta…
As you might guess, this is pretty simple and straight forward, but I’m throwing in some major flavor throughout.
Start with the pasta. For this particular recipe, I like to boil and drain the pasta first.
While the pasta is boiling, make a quick vinaigrette/sauce. This is the flavor of this pasta. It’s a mix of plenty of fresh basil, chives, and green olives. It’s fresh, a bit tangy, and perfectly salted. The idea is that by the time the pasta is finished boiling, all the other prep work is complete.
If you have a food processor, this makes really quick work of all the chopping and mixing. It creates a more vinaigrette-like sauce that will give your pasta a very pretty green hue. Just a tip, but certainly not needed if you don’t own a food processor.
Once the pasta has been drained, start cooking the spicy Italian chicken sausage in the very same pot you boiled the pasta in. I like to brown the sausage in a little olive before adding the asparagus and garlic. Once the garlic is added, you’ll want to cook a few minutes more, just until that garlic is fragrant.
Next, white wine, just a splash. It’s delicious and adds a nice flavor. Of course, if you prefer not to cook with wine, you can simply use a splash of white vinegar, chicken broth, or vegetable broth. My first choice would be the vinegar, followed by the broth.
Next add the pasta, plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and all of the basily olive sauce. Once you add the sauce, your kitchen will immediately smell amazing. Like an Italian grandma’s kitchen in the summer months when she’s cooking with fresh basil from the garden.
It’s a very wonderful smell.
Suggestions, substitutes, and ideas…
If you don’t love asparagus, try using another spring or summer vegetable. I recommend broccoli or zucchini, just something green to preserve the pretty vibrant green color throughout this one pot pasta.
Not a fan of sausage? Well, first I highly recommend giving an Italian chicken sausage a try. It’s spicy, less fatty, and I always find it to have much better flavor in comparison to traditional pork sausage. I like to buy my chicken sausage at Whole Foods from the butcher, but most grocery stores with a butcher will make you fresh chicken sausage if you ask.
And that’s it. Serve this up while it’s warm and every bowl at the table will come back to the sink clean.
Creighton has said this is my best “quarantined” recipe yet. It’s his new favorite…which honestly I was shocked by. This pasta ended up being much more of a Lyndsie food versus a Creighton food. I was worried he wouldn’t even touch this due to the green color. But he loved every last bite and is calling it a new favorite. Who knew he’d love something so green…exciting.
And the best part? This is an easy, flavorful pasta that could not be better for a busy night. Plus the leftovers are great warm or chilled the following day.
Tip? Add a couple of handfuls of baby spinach to boost the greens! Now you basically have pasta salad. So very balanced! Enjoy everyone!
Looking for other one pot recipe? Here are a couple of favorites…
One Pot Creamy Tuscan Pesto and Artichoke Pasta
One Pot 30 Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make this one pot lemon basil, asparagus, and sausage pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, and Sausage Pasta.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 503 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup green olives chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain.2. Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, chives, and olives in a bowl, or pulse in the food processor. Season with salt and pepper. 3. In the same pot used to cook the pasta, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the asparagus, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes or until the asparagus is tender. Add the wine. Simmer 2-3 minutes, then add the pasta and parmesan, tossing well to coat. 4. Add the basil/olive sauce and toss. Remove from the heat and serve immediately topped with additional basil and parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Vegetarian: omit the sausage and instead, when adding the shallots, also add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
To Replace the Wine: if you prefer not to cook with wine, you can simply use a splash of white vinegar, chicken broth, or vegetable broth. My first choice would be the vinegar, followed by the broth.
This post was originally published on May 21, 2020
This was so delicious! Fresh and bright! Made it for lunch over spinach ricotta raviolis! Definitely going into a permanent rotation!!!
Love to hear that! Thank you so much Lauren! xTieghan
I made this last night and added a leek along with the garlic – it was absolutely incredible!!! I never go wrong with your recipes, thank you!
You are too kind!! Thank you so much, Jennifer! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Made this for dinner a few nights ago, my Aunt and I loved it!! I ham a HUGE lemon fan, so I was ALL OVER this dish! Loved how the sweet freshness of the asparagus balanced the spicy and saltiness of the rest of the dish! Thank you for this awesome recipe! ♡
Thank you Summer! xTieghan
delicious and very easy, just as you said! an A+ wednesday night meal 🙂 thank you for putting out so much content and new recipes during this crazy time, it’s so helpful!
I am just glad you have been enjoying my recipes! Thank you Madison! xTieghan
We love this recipe. Prepared last night, and it tastes wonderful! We don’t like any heat in our food, so I just eliminated the pepper flakes. We’ll have the leftovers tonight as a cold salad. I may add some of the baby spinach from our garden tonight. Keep bringing us these brilliant flavorful recipes! I’m a fan.
Thank you so much Diane! That is really amazing to hear! xTieghan
This was the BEST pasta recipe I’ve ever made. My boyfriend and I had to go back for seconds. Can’t wait to make it again! So good thank you so much!
Thank you Hannah! xTieghan
I tried this for dinner tonight and it was so so delicious. I honestly was a bit worried about the acidity of the sauce but I didn’t need to be, it was perfect. I added a bit of ricotta for my 5 year old just in case and she loved it. Thanks!
Thank you so much Holly! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious. Prepped ahead, all went smoothly. A keeper, made as printed.
Thank you Sheryl! xTieghan
Very good. I thought the sauce would be too tangy as I tried it by itself. But after it was added to the pasta, sausage and Parmesan, it was very tasty!
Thank you Kim! That is amazing to hear! xTieghan
Very good. I thought the sauce would be too tangy as I tried it by itself. But after it was added to the pasta, sausage and Parmesan, it was very tasty!
Thank you so much Kim! xTieghan
Oh this was so tasty and so refreshing!!!! Will be making again!
Thank you so much Anna!! xTieghan
I just made this for dinner – WOW. So delicious. I have to admit I was skeptical about the olives but they worked so well in the sauce. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. This will definitely be on regular rotation in my house :).
Amazing! Thank you so much Lucy! xTieghan
we are all working with what we have, so I used a couple slices of bacon and some shallots in place of the sausage. I also only had that weird refrigerated dehydrated basil for the olive pesto. I stirred in some spinach at the end–this was a fantastic asparagus pasta dish even with my subs. I can’t wait to make it with the suggested ingredients! Added to my favorites.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Sharon! I hope you love it even more when you are able to get the ingredients! Thank you! xTieghan
Loved this recipe. I double the sauce because I know my family loves extra sauce in any pasta dish. However, I 100% think it would have just as yummy not doubled. Make this you won’t regret it and it’s truly a quick one to make.
Thank you so much Jaclyn!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The taste was really nice, but I felt like it should have been waaaaay more saucy
Hi Marit! Thank you for trying this! Please let me know if there are any questions I can help with! xTieghan