Garlicky Angel Hair with Sausage & Peas

I was not initially planning to share this recipe. The never ending colds from hell continue to plague my family, which means I continue to be very lazy and uninspired about dinner. And picky. I am SO picky when I have a cold. All I want is starch. Which is more or less what inspired this dish--if you are not lazy and/or sick, also serve it with a salad to feel better about yourself! (I should also add I used Barilla Plus pasta, so at least the meal was high fiber.)

But anyway, about my not planning to share the dish. This is definitely one of those greater than the sum of its parts simple dishes--that you more or less want to lick the pan when you are done. We loved it. John and I could not stay out of it. And the best part of all is that it is super simple, super fast and uses, at least in my case, all pantry ingredients.


Garlicky Angel Hair with Sausage & Peas
Recipe by The Spiced Life

1 lb dried angel hair, boiled until al dente
1-2 T good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, minced
1/4 t smoked Spanish paprika
1 lb smoked sausage of choice (I used a local sausage reminiscent of kielbasa)
salt and pepper to taste
9 oz lager (3/4 bottle)
1/2 cup chicken stock
10-12 oz frozen peas

Bring water to a boil and then cook the pasta while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it shimmers, add the garlic. Fry until the garlic is quite fragrant and roasted golden brown. Do not let it burn (keep stirring). Add the onions and stir to deglaze the pan. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are translucent and just starting to turned golden brown. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until the sausage browns, 5-10 minutes. Stir in the smoked Spanish paprika. Add the beer and scrape the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and continue boiling to evaporate. You will not evaporate all of the liquid, but enough so that it just coats the pasta, rather than being soupy. Add the cooked and drained pasta with the peas. Toss until heated through and salt and pepper to taste (it will need a decent amount of black pepper). You might also need to add more smoke Spanish paprika (to taste).