Lemon-garlic pasta with roasted vegetables combines fire roasted peppers and tomatoes, spicy Italian sausage, fresh spinach, whole wheat pasta, and a creamy sauce infused with a hint of lemon into a simple whole-food dinner that requires 1 pot and 30 minutes start to finish!
Some of you lovely readers are looking at this picture of lemon-garlic pasta with roasted vegetables and just KNOWING.
You are knowing that spaghetti deserves more than meatballs and marinara.
Some of you good people, unfortunately, are not familiar with this type of food switchery (<—just go with it). You choose to believe that traditional is the way to go, and right now you are looking at that wilty green spinach and moving your mouse towards the red x in the corner of your screen, because spaghetti with veggies and without meatballs.. WHHHAAA?
Be rational. It’s just vegetables… and Italian sausage plays a major roll (albeit not in the form of a ball).
It’s not just spicy Italian sausage and vegetables, we are talking fire roasted peppers, tender tomatoes, and fresh spinach sacked in a creamy lemon infused sauce. If there was ever a time to join TEAM SWITCHERY (<—- ⚡️), that time would be now.
Time Saving Tips and Tricks:
Prep: To get a jump start on this meal, season and roast your tomatoes ahead of time and store them in the fridge. You can also slice the fire roasted bell peppers into thin strips, and chop the garlic prior to cooking. The whole meal takes almost no time to make so if you don’t have time to do prep work… no worries!
Make Ahead: The leftovers from this dish make a great lunch! However, this pasta unquestionably tastes best fresh from the stove.
Freezer: Sorry, not this time.
- ½ tsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz of lean chicken sausage, no added nitrates or nitrites, casing removed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ¼ tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt/Pepper- to taste
- 2 cups water
- 1½ cup whole milk
- 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3 handfuls baby spinach
- 2 fire roasted red peppers, slice into thin strips (I used jarred)
- zest of 2 lemons
- ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
- Over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic to pot. Stir constantly until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
- While sausage is cooking, cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place tomatoes on it in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add water, and milk. Bring to a boil. Once water is boiling,add spaghetti and red pepper flakes. When the liquid returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Allow spaghetti to cook until almost al dente, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in spinach, red peppers, and roasted tomatoes. Continue cooking uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add lemon zest, pepper, sausage, and parmesan cheese. Stir until heated, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Helpful Hints/Notes:
- This recipe was adapted from a recipe for Lemon Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage and Spinach that I found in Clean Eating Magazine. Check out more of their great recipes at HERE!
- Finding whole wheat pasta can be difficult! You can use whatever you have on hand or is available at your local grocery store. Make sure pasta specifically says it is 100% whole wheat.
- Sausage should be free from Nitrites and Nitrates. Make sure to remove the casings!
- Non-organic milk contains hormones that are potentially harmful. Choose organic when possible. Also.. whole milk really is necessary for this recipe to turn out as desired. I have tried with 1 % and the dish just isn’t as creamy.
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