Beet Pasta Primavera + Chicken Sausage

I live in Seattle. More specifically, I live in a neighborhood right outside of the University. It’s an odd mix of people and houses. From 1900s classics to deliberated shacks that look something akin to the house in Jumanji. From folks who attended Roosevelt High School in 1940 to fresh freshman faces living on their own for the first time. Eclectic is only the first word that comes to mind when I try to describe my neighborhood.

I’m lucky enough to live in the basement of an old Dutch style house. While the location is fantastic and the outside aesthetics are awe worthy, I live in a basement my friends. It’s cold, pretty dark, and very small. But we’re not complaining here! Ethan and I just have to get creative on how we spend our time. So we take a lot of walks and enjoy our crazy little neighborhood.

Being from Seattle, you’d think that Pike Place Market would be the only farmers market worth thinking about going to on a Saturday morning. Think again. It’s crazy down there. And I feel just as much of a tourist as any other person posing next to the infamous gold pig. Seattle, like many metropolises, is made up of a million different little neighborhoods that operate much like their own little cities. So, I go to my own neighborhood’s farmers market, thank you very much!

Ethan and I, still being on a “fresh out of college” budget, don’t buy our essentials at the market usually. But we do like to find at least one thing special and unique to bring home. If I am on my own, it’s usually a huge bouquet of flowers. If I am with Ethan, it has to be a food item.

On our last adventure to the U District Market, we found the pasta man. He had every kind of pasta you could imagine! Pasta made from stinging nettles, kale, spinach, peppers, beets, and more! We were intrigued, to say the least. After sampling each one, quietly discussing our game plan like basketball players, we took the beet pasta home.

And today I share with you that recipe, fresh from the farmer's market: Beet Pasta Primavera with Chicken Sausage.

INGREDIENTS 

White Wine Sauce

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc)
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• juice of one fresh lemon

Pasta

• 1 pound fresh beet linguini (or any other kind of fresh pasta)
• 1 pound chicken sausage  (optional)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes (roasted)
• 1 cup asparagus, chopped
• 1 cup broccoli 
• 2 cups feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

0. Prep the pasta: in boiling, salted water, cook the pasta. Follow the directions on the package it came in. Set aside.

For the sauce...

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Saute until golden, about 1-2 minutes.3. Add salt, pepper, white wine, butter.4. Stir 2 minutes, remove from heat. 
5. While the white wine sauce is being prepared, toss the cup of tomatoes in a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. 

For the veggies....

6. Put in pan and roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Drain the oil.

7. Chop and rinse the asparagus.... (the dead ends will pop right off when you bend the stock)

8. Get the broccoli off the main stock, rinse and pat dry. 

9. Saute the broccoli and asparagus over medium heat and a splash of oil for 5 minutes until they turn bright green. Set aside.

10. Chop the sausage and saute in the same pan until browned.

Combine everything now...

10. Get the pasta in a big BIG bowl. Toss the veggies + meat in along with the feta cheese and top with wine sauce. Mix it up and top it with the juice of one lemon. Now grab a fork and a glass of wine. Time to eat!

Eat well! Be well! And subscribe below to never miss a BEET.... (ha, see what I did there?)