Ingredients
| ½ lb (225 g) | Italpasta Total Pasta Penne Rigate |
| 2 tbsp (30 mL) | Italpasta Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| ½ lb (225 g) | fennel sausage |
| 1 | garlic clove minced |
| 2 | shallots finely chopped |
| ½ cup (125 mL) | chopped asparagus spears |
| 1 cup (250 mL) | half and half |
| 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) | Grand Marnier |
| ½ tsp (2.5 mL) | orange zest |
| 1 tbsp (15 mL) | finely chopped parsley |
| ¼ cup (22 g) | grated Gran Padano cheese, plus additional for garnish |
| salt and pepper |
Steps
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-heaped tablespoon of salt.
- Remove sausage meat from casing. Roll into 1-inch meatballs; set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and sear until browned evenly and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve ¼ cup pasta water.
- To the skillet, add the garlic, shallots and asparagus, sauté for 3 minutes until fragrant and softened. To deglaze, add the Grand Marnier and ¼ cup pasta water; cook for 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in the meatballs, cooked pasta, half and half, orange zest, cheese and parsley to the skillet; season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Serve in warm dishes with additional Gran Padano.
Nutritional Information
Calories per ⅓ recipe 564, Fat 31 g, Saturated Fat 13 g, Cholesterol 763 mg, Sodium 764.6 mg, Carbohydrates 64 g, Fibre 9.2 g, Sugar 3.3 g, Protein 27.9 g
- Italpasta Total Pasta packs 10 grams of Fibre in every serving. Talk about tasty!
- Using half and half as an alternative to heavy whipping cream reduces the overall fat content by 20%
- Cook with small amounts of hard cheeses like Gran Padano for maximum flavour and minimal fat