Pasta With Green Bean Ragù

We were shopping at McCall’s when we spotted an unusual ginger-scallion pork sausage made with heritage pork, spices, and natural hog casing. It even contained fish in the form of anchovies in fish sauce. We were intrigued and knew we had to try it.
Pasta with Green Bean Ragù seemed like the perfect recipe to use it in. The dish is similar to our Stir-Fried Bean and Pork  recipe we have made many times, but because the recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, we weren’t sure how well it would work with the sausage’s Asian flavor profile. I’m happy to report that it worked wonderfully.
We really enjoyed the meal and will definitely be buying more of these sausages in the future. A special hat tip to the pasta—I loved its shape!
We started with a Tomato Salad with Burrata and Pesto. The Pesto sauce is also from McCall's and it the best we have ever purchased, we have gone through many bottles over the years!

Pasta With Green Bean Ragù

From The New York Times
Eric Kim

This spoonable pasta, the result of smart home cooking, is a dance of sorts between two pots: Fresh green beans boil with the pasta in one pot to season the water with their gentle vegetal umami, while the quick sausage ragù simmers in another. That green-bean broth gets incorporated into the final dish, a rich, melting mix of Italian sausage, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. A squeeze of lemon and a generous grating of Parmesan bring it all together.

Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 teaspoon fennel or cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 pound short pasta, such as orecchiette, macaroni or wagon wheels
3 ounces grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup), plus more for serving

Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and simmer while you prepare the sauce.

Step 2
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.

Step 3
Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until well browned and beginning to stick to the pan, about 7 minutes.

Step 4
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the fennel seeds and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, a few seconds.

Step 5
Add the juice of ½ lemon and ½ cup green-bean cooking water. Simmer, stirring constantly, until glossy and saucy, about 5 minutes. Add more cooking water if needed.

Step 6
Cook the pasta with the green beans according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups cooking water, then drain. Add pasta and beans to the ragù with the Parmesan and 1 cup reserved water. Stir vigorously until glossy, adding more water if needed. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, lemon juice and more Parmesan.