By Danny's birthday week. He would have been twenty-six. Wait — twenty-seven? I do the math. Born 1996, died 2013. He'd be twenty-six this summer. Same age as Megan. This fact lands differently now that I know someone who's twenty-six and alive and whole. Danny stopped at sixteen. Everyone else kept going. The math of early death never stops being strange.
I went to Holy Cross on a Saturday morning. The cemetery in summer is different from the cemetery in winter — green, alive, the headstones surrounded by manicured grass and flowers people leave. Someone — Rachel Katz, probably — had put a small bouquet on Danny's grave. Yellow flowers. Danny's favorite color was yellow, though he'd deny it to anyone who asked because sixteen-year-old boys don't have favorite colors.
I told Danny about the sour beer in the barrel. About Megan making pierogi. About the fact that I'm starting to think about a future that involves more than brewing. I told him about the dream — the shop, the twelve stools, Helen's. I haven't told anyone else. Danny's the first person I've said it to out loud, and he can't tell anyone, which makes him the safest confidant in the world.
Megan had dinner ready when I got home. Scrambled eggs and toast. Not gourmet. Perfect. She's learning that Danny's birthday and Danny's anniversary are two different kinds of days — the anniversary is sharper, the birthday is sadder but gentler. She adjusts. She always adjusts.
Made a summer pasta that night — spaghetti with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil. No meat. Just the tomatoes, warmed in the pan until they barely break down, tossed with the pasta and finished with parmesan. This is the meal I will make every summer for the rest of my life. It takes ten minutes. It tastes like August. It tastes like life continuing.
That night it was the spaghetti — ten minutes, fresh tomatoes, August in a bowl — but the spirit of that cooking lives in any pasta that asks almost nothing of you and gives almost everything back. This pesto pasta with chicken sausage and roasted Brussels sprouts is the version of that same instinct that carries through the rest of the year: herby, quick, built for evenings when the day has already done enough to you and the meal just needs to show up. It’s the kind of recipe Megan would have on the table before I even set down my keys.
Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne or rotini pasta
- 1 lb chicken sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 3 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup prepared basil pesto
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Roast the Brussels sprouts. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the halved Brussels sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until edges are browned and crisp.
- Cook the pasta. While the Brussels sprouts roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain and set aside.
- Brown the sausage. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chicken sausage and cook 3–4 minutes per side until browned. Sprinkle with garlic powder and stir to coat.
- Combine everything. Reduce skillet heat to medium-low. Add the drained pasta to the sausage, followed by the pesto and reserved pasta water. Toss to coat evenly, adding a splash more pasta water if the sauce feels tight.
- Add the Brussels sprouts. Fold in the roasted Brussels sprouts and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve. Divide into bowls and finish with grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 530 | Protein: 29g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 51g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 790mg