Shell pasta coated in a simple dressing and tossed with samphire, spinach and veggie sausages,  topped with grated vegan cheddar.

SHELL PASTA WITH SAMPHIRE, SPINACH & SAUSAGES

Doesn't that look satisfying?

Pasta dishes don't have to swim in sauce. 

Don't get me wrong I love penne completely coated in a freshly made tomato and basil sauce, spaghetti drowning in bolognaise and macaroni rich with cheese sauce, but sometimes it's nice to keep the pasta quite plain and let the other ingredients sing.

In this dish, the pasta shells are coated in a little pesto and tossed with spinach, samphire and well cooked sausages.

WELL-COOKED SAUSAGES

Sausages must be well cooked. Always! 

Slightly charred is slightly preferable.

The sausages have to be veggie or course (or vegan). 

I always keep some in the freezer for easy dishes. They're a great standby for quick meals. 

I serve them on finger rolls with fried onions and ketchup, in rich sausage bakes, on mash with gravy and peas or on a sandwich or wrap with salad for lunch.

A HEARTY FAMILY MEAL

This pasta dish is a great family meal. It's tasty, filling and a healthier option that adding a jar of sauce to pasta.

• VEGAN SAUSAGES - are generally low in fat making them a healthy source of protein.
• SAMPHIRE - is rich in Vitamin A, B & C as well as folic acid.
• SPINACH - we all know that spinach is good for us, although it doesn't have as much iron as Popeye tried to convince us, but it is an excellent source or iron, vitamin A, B2, C, K, folic acid and magnesium. 

You can use homemade pesto or jarred pesto, then top the pasta with some finely grated vegan cheddar, which works better than vegan parmesan in this dish.

WHAT IS SAMPHIRE?

Samphire is a plant from the parsley family that is found near salt water in rock or marsh areas.

The thin stalks look a bit like thin baby asparagus.

It used to be a plant used solely by chefs, but in recent years it has become more common in supermarkets.

It's quite salty, so never add salt with cooking or serving it and it only needs the briefest of cooking, although it can be eaten raw too.

It was after a meal at The Gate Restaurant in London, that we discovered my son likes samphire. Any vegetable he decides he likes is a big win!

also try Sticky Marmalade Sausage Bake (vegan)

MORE RECIPES WITH VEGAN SAUSAGES

Here are a few more recipes using vegan sausages for you to try.

• Green Mash Sausage Bake
• Vegan Chip Shop Sausage Supper
• Vegan Sausage & Sweet Potato Bake
• Veggie Sausage, Mushroom & Chickpea Stew
• Veggie Sausage & White Bean Casserole

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pasta, vegan pasta, dairy free pasta, sausage pasta, samphire recipes, vegan sausage recipes

dinner

British, vegan

Yield: 4 - 6

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Shell Pasta with Samphire, Spinach & Sausages

Shell pasta coated in a simple dressing and tossed with samphire, spinach and vegan sausages topped with grated vegan cheddar.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 17 Min

Ingredients

• 400g / 14 oz shell pasta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 vegan sausages
• 100g / 3.5 oz baby spinach
• 90g / 3 oz samphire
• 4 tbsp pesto
• a good grinding of black pepper
• 50g / 1.75 oz vegan cheddar, grated

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in lots of salted boiling water until al dente.
2. Fry the sausages in a little oil until brown and cooked through, then slice.
3. While the pasta and sausages are cooking, rinse the spinach and samphire and chop, then add them to the cooking pasta a couple of minutes before the end of cooking.
4. Drain the pasta and veg, then pop back in the pan with the pesto. Season with pepper (no salt as samphire is salty).
5. Mix in the sausages and serve immediately topped with some grated cheddar.
6. Enjoy.

Notes:

Calories

4 large portions = 661 calories

5 standard portions = 599 calories

6 smaller portions = 499 calories

Once cool, you can keep this pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

If you can't find samphire, why not add asparagus instead?

Calories

661.42

Fat (grams)

46.95

Sat. Fat (grams)

14.89

Carbs (grams)

33.91

Fiber (grams)

2.54

Net carbs

31.38

Sugar (grams)

2.00

Protein (grams)

24.75

Sodium (milligrams)

1206.89

Cholesterol (grams)

90.12

Created using The Recipes Generator