Sometimes, you just want some freaking pasta on a cold fall or winter day. This Fall Harvest Pasta with Sausage and Apples will 100% hit the spot, starring many of the fantastic flavors of autumn – roasted brussels sprouts and squash, sage, apples, with a delicious drizzle of olive oil and some parmesan cheese to boot. And hey, there’s even some wine to go along with it. Sometimes, it even goes into the food!
Yeah, you heard – we’re getting a little fancy here (okay, not really) and de-glazing the pan with some white wine! If you’ve never heard this term before, it happens when you’ve got some fond – aka the roasted bits at the bottom of the pan – sticking around, and you want to get all that flavor into your dish, but you don’t want to just scrape it up. So you add some liquid to the pan at medium heat, and then stir pretty aggressively to help the liquid loosen those delicious bits up to the rest of the dish. And for this case, we’re using white wine! The alcohol cooks off with the heat, but the flavor stays behind.
You’ll also notice I didn’t exactly give serving sizes for the actual pasta in this dish. That’s because – I don’t know your life. I don’t know if you want a lot of pasta, just a little pasta, if you’ve got teenagers who could eat the whole box themselves – that’s up to you. The dish is designed to serve about 4 people as a main course, so you decide your own pasta adventure. And if you’re looking for a good gluten-free pasta for this dish, my favorites are the Quinoa and Brown Rice Fusili from Trader Joe’s or Jovial Brown Rice Pasta.
- 4 servings pasta (about ¾ standard size box or bag)
- 2 Tbsp ghee, divided
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 package chicken-apple sausage
- Splash of white wine - about 3 Tbsp (I used pinot grigio)
- 1 large apple, diced
- ½ lb brussels sprouts, stemmed and halved
- 1 small delicata squash, halved, seeds removed, and cut into ½-inch thick slices
- 4 sage leaves, chopped
- 1 oz shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Combine the brussels sprouts and squash in a large bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp melted ghee and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 25 minutes.
- Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, warm 1 Tbsp ghee on medium heat in a large sauté pan.
- Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Next, add the garlic and chopped sausage. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the sausage begins to brown.
- Add the apples and de-glaze the pan with a splash of white wine.
- Turn the heat to low. At this point, the pasta should be done, and the brussels almost finished roasting. Add the drained pasta and the roasted brussels and squash to the pan, and stir to combine.
- Drizzle with 2 Tbsp EVOO and a heaping dose of freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese and fresh chopped sage.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste - serve warm.
Love this fall harvest pasta? You’ll love these recipes too!
Spring Pasta Carbonara with Shaved Asparagus
Chicken Saltimbocca
Cauliflower Gnocchi Alfredo with Broccoli & Sausage
Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Can I substitute something for the white wine?
Definitely – try bone broth!