Linguine with Fennel & Winter Greens Recipe

Just 10 ingredients - including balsamic, sage, and caramelized onions - make this simple pasta so delicious that I always go back for seconds.

Before I get to today’s recipe, I have some exciting news for you – do you remember this trip to Sonoma that I went on a few months ago? Well now it’s your chance to go on that exact same trip, hosted by the lovely folks at Fortessa.

You’ll get to stay at the gorgeous Fairmont hotel, attend cooking class at the original Williams Sonoma Store, and of course have amazing food and wine the whole time. It was tons of fun (click here to enter) my fingers are crossed for you!

Now back to the recipe!

This pasta is super easy, yet warming and wintery. Lightly caramelized onions and fennel are tangled within fresh linguine noodles. Sage and a splash of balsamic make it earthy yet still a little bit bright. I was going to sauté some lacinato kale until I spotted this gorgeous tatsoi at my farmers market – how pretty is that? Of course, if you can’t find tatsoi near you, kale or chard will work perfectly here as well.

We’ve been loving this winter pasta dish as well as our gorgeous new bone-white Fortessa dish-ware that I served it in. For all of the vintage and/or patterned dishes that I collect, I love having really good quality classic white dinnerware to use every day and also for special occasions when I want to appear as if I have things “together.”

When Jack and I first got married, we got (what I thought was) a really nice set, but over the years, it’s chipped, scratched and now oddly numbered because we’ve broken so many pieces… and I won’t even get started about how many wine glasses we’ve gone through. But not anymore! The Fortessa ceramics and Schott Zwiesel glassware is chip-proof, break resistant. It’s used in many many 4 and 5 start hotels because it’s so lovely and also insanely durable. Which means that we feel like very fancy adults now.

Pictured: Fortessa Rim Soup Plates, Royal Pacific Flatware and Schott Zwiesel Pure Double Old Fashioned Glasses. Fortessa dinnerware, flatware, and Schott Zwiesel glassware are all available at Williams Sonoma stores and online.

4.8 from 6 reviews

Linguine with Fennel & Winter Greens

This delicious pasta would make a great winter weeknight dinner. Skip the cheese to make it vegan, and use whatever winter greens you can find.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Pasta

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup thinly sliced onion
⅓ cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, but still whole
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 sage leaves, chopped
8 ounces linguine pasta, plus reserved pasta water
8 tatsoi leaves (or kale or swiss chard), stems removed, leaves torn
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Toasted walnuts
Parmesan shavings (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, garlic, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and fennel are golden brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the balsamic and cook 2 more minutes until the fennel is very soft and the onion is lightly caramelized. (If necessary, reduce the heat and add a little more oil to prevent the onions from burning). Add the sage and stir.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente. Do not drain.
Remove the crushed garlic cloves from the onion mixture, then scoop the pasta into the skillet directly from the water. Add the tatsoi leaves and toss until everything is incorporated and the tatsoi is wilted. Add ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water, if necessary, to help loosen the pasta. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, balsamic, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Serve in bowls with toasted walnuts and Parmesan shavings, if using.

Notes

Make this vegan by using vegan pasta and omitting the parmesan cheese. Make it gluten free by using gluten-free pasta.

This post was created in partnership, and is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fortessa.