This weeknight brussels sprout pasta dish is bursting with autumnal flavors and makes the most of ingredients you might have on hand after hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Leaving some of the outer brussels sprouts leaves whole before roughly chopping the centers ensures you get different shapes and textures in every bite; hot Italian sausage adds heft and spice (add more red pepper flakes if you like); pecans toasted in nutty brown butter are rich, cozy, and crunchy; and using Pecorino gives the dish a salty, sharp punch.
Tips
- Work smarter: Get your pasta water on to boil first. As it warms up, use the prep time to assemble the rest of your ingredients.
- No Pecorino?: Parmesan cheese or a nutty aged Manchego would each make worthy stand-ins.
- Sprout swap: Have a batch of leftover roasted brussels sprouts? Toss those in at the end of the recipe just to warm them up.
- Pasta choice: Any type of medium pasta will work with this dish. We like mezze rigatoni, short tubes that will trap small bits of sausage and pecan for full-flavored bites. But you could consider orecchiette, conchiglie, or regular old penne.
- Avoid overcooked pasta: To get a luxurious, glossy sauce, cook your pasta until just shy of al dente (2 minutes less than package directions) so you can finish it in the sauce, with starchy water and butter helping bring everything together.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
1
6
4
1
¼
1
3
1
2
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Trim root ends from 1 lb. brussels sprouts, letting any larger outer leaves fall off. Place leaves in a medium bowl. Coarsely chop remaining sprouts and transfer to same bowl as leaves; set aside.
Step 2
Cook 1 lb. mezze rigatoni or other medium pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Step 3
Heat 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter and 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high until butter is melted. Add 1 cup coarsely chopped raw pecans and cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are darkened in color and fragrant and butter mixture browns (it will be slightly darker than plain brown butter because of the pecans), about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, stir in ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt. Wipe out pot.
Step 4
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same pot over medium-high. Cook 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed if needed, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and reserved brussels sprouts; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brussels sprouts are slightly wilted, 2–3 minutes.
Step 5
Add pasta, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid, 1 oz. Pecorino, finely grated (about ½ cup), and remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until pasta is coated and sauce is glossy, 2–3 minutes. Remove pasta from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 6
Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with buttery pecans, dividing evenly, and more Pecorino.