Penne With Italian Sausage, Asparagus and Chickpeas

serves 2-4
Recipe from cookthink

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instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Prep all the ingredients. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until it's al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the sausage and stir, breaking it up into small chunks. Leave the sausage alone to brown for 2 minutes, then stir to brown on all sides, about 2 minutes more.

3. Add the asparagus and chickpeas to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of the pasta water into the pan and simmer until the asparagus is bright green and tender, 2-4 more minutes.

4. Pour the drained pasta into the pan and stir to combine with the sausage, asparagus and chickpeas. Add more pasta water if the pan seems too dry -- there should be just a little liquid in the bottom of the pan to coat the pasta.

5. Toss everything together for a minute or so, then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the grated pecorino, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.