This Sausage and Fennel Pasta With Artichokes is a deeply flavorful and comforting dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. I made it for a friend a couple years ago when she had a baby and her husband still regularly talks about it! On top of that it is one of my wifes favorite easy dinners.
Sweet Italian sausage is cooked until golden, then tossed with caramelized fennel, tender artichoke hearts, and orecchiette in a simple pasta water sauce that ties everything together perfectly. It is the kind of dinner that tastes like you spent hours on it but is actually one of the easiest and most satisfying weeknight meals you will ever make! Looking for another easy pasta dinner? Try this Broccoli Sausage Pasta.
30 Minutes
Easy Clean up
Quick Look: Sausage and fennel pasta
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 25 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🥣 Servings: 4 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 856 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Boil pasta, cook sausage and other ingredients, and mix everything together
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Pasta, Italian Sausage, Fennel, Artichokes, Burrata
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy – boil pasta and prep all of the other ingredients in another pan.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Feels fancy, but is easy– This is truly like a restaurant quality pasta without the restaurant effort or price tag. Spend less time cleaning up the kitchen and more time enjoying this delicious meal with your family!!
- Bursting with flavor – Sweet Italian sausage, fennel, capers, and artichokes make for a very flavorful dish. It may sound like an unusual flavor combination, but cooked fennel pairs perfectly with savory sausage.
- Ready in under 30 minutes – Time crunch? No problem! You shouldn’t have to compromise on tastiness just because you have a busy schedule!
For another flavorful pasta dish, try this Mushroom Alfredo Pasta.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this delicious pasta dish. For a full list of ingredients, see the full recipe.
- Pasta (orecchiette recommended) — orecchiette are small cup-shaped pasta that are perfect for catching pieces of sausage and fennel in every bite. Any short pasta though with ridges or cups works great here such as rigatoni, penne, or shells
- Sweet Italian Sausage – or you can use links with casing cut off
- Fennel – cut the fronds off and slice the bulbs
- Artichoke hearts – this recipe uses chopped cooked artichoke hearts, which can be found canned or jarred in the pantry section of any grocery store. Drain and rinse them well before chopping. Marinated artichoke hearts also work and will add extra flavor to the sauce. Fresh artichoke hearts can be used but take much more prep time.
- Capers – these add a nice punch of flavor
- Parmesan cheese and Burrata – the final touches to this dish which add a nice creamy touch
Want another delicious dish with artichokes? Try this Lemon Artichoke Chicken Skillet.
How to make This Sausage and fennel Pasta
Step 1: Boil pasta and don’t forget to save some pasta water! While the pasta cooks, brown the sausage.
Step 2: Add the fennel to the pan and saute until brown. This can take a little while – about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Pour the artichoke hearts, capers, parsley and balsamic vinegar into the skillet and toss to combine.
Step 4: Pour the cooked pasta, cooked sausage, and pasta water into the skillet. Toss to combine.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and two balls of burrata spread open so everyone gets a little bit!
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Sausage and fennel pasta 🥣
- Do not wipe out the pan after cooking the sausage. The brown bits and drippings left in the pan are full of flavor. Cook the fennel directly in the sausage fat so it soaks up all that savory goodness as it caramelizes.
- Slice the fennel thin. Thinly sliced fennel cooks down quickly and becomes sweet and tender. Thick pieces will take longer to soften and may not caramelize as well.
- Save your pasta water before draining. The starchy pasta water is what helps the sauce coat every piece of pasta. Do not forget it. Set a measuring cup next to the stove so you do not pour it out by mistake.
- Do not rush the fennel. Give the fennel a full 8-10 minutes in the pan over medium heat to caramelize properly. Rushing it on high heat will make it steam instead of brown and you will lose that sweet, deep flavor.
For another flavorful pasta dish, try this Pasta with Pancetta and Peas.
Recipe FAQs
Does fennel taste like licorice in this pasta?
No! Raw fennel has a mild anise flavor but it becomes sweet and buttery once it is cooked. Most people who think they do not like fennel are surprised by how delicious and mild it is when caramelized in the sausage drippings.
Can I use a different pasta shape?
Yes! Orecchiette is used here because its cup shape catches the sausage and fennel perfectly, but any short pasta works well. Rigatoni, penne, shells, or cavatappi are all great options.
Can I use spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet?
Yes! Spicy Italian sausage works great and adds a nice kick to the dish. You can also use half sweet and half spicy for a balanced heat level.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add parmesan cheese and burrata when ready to eat.
Other 30 minute pasta dishes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Sausage and Fennel Pasta with Artichokes
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry pasta – I used orecchiette
- ⅓ cup pasta water
- 1 lb ground sweet italian sausage – or links with casing cut off
- 3 cups thinly sliced fennel – about 3 small bulbs or 2 medium bulbs with the fronds cut off
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped cooked artichoke hearts – I use the one in a can and drain them
- 2 tbsp chopped capers
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley + more for garnish
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz burrata
Instructions
- Boil pasta in heavily salted water according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve ⅓ cup pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground sausage to the skillet, cook until browned and crumbled (5-7 minutes), reduce heat to med-low, remove cooked sausage from the pan, but leave oil from the sausage behind.
- Add the fennel to the pan with the sausage oil and add tbsp of olive oil. Increase the heat to medium and saute until browned – this can take awhile about 15 minutes. If the pan starts to look too dry at any point, add another splash of oil because the fennel can absorb a lot.
- Season fennel with a pinch of salt. Pour the artichoke hearts, capers, parsley and balsamic vinegar into the skillet and toss to combine.
- Pour the cooked pasta, cooked sausage, and pasta water into the skillet. Toss to combine, simmer covered for 5 minutes to combine the flavors.
- Pour onto a serving platter, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and two balls of burrata. I like to pull the burrata open to spread over the pasta before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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