Fiddleheads are an easy and delicious way of adding local, seasonal food into your meals. They are foraged for free easily enough, or may be purchased at farmers markets from mid May to June. If you've never cooked fiddleheads before it's good to know how to properly cook and clean them first before making any fiddlehead recipes such as this one.

freshkly washed fiddleheads on a wooden cutting board, ready for cooking

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A Simple Spring Inspired Pasta

This simple fiddlehead pasta recipe, can be quickly cooked up for a flavorful lunch or dinner.

Before you start you'll need:

2 cooked Italian sausages - sliced
1 small Spanish onion - julienned
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh or frozen fiddleheads - cooked
2 cups cooked penne pasta

Cooking The Fiddleheads & Noodles First

Cook the fiddleheads first before starting the rest of the recipe. They can actually be cooked at the same time as the pasta is boiling. Simply simmer them in a pot of water for 5 minutes and then strain them out and set the fiddleheads aside.

Discard the cooking water as it is very bitter and not palatable.

fresh fiddleheads cooking in a pot of water

Saute The Remaining Ingredients

Saute the Italian sausage, julienne onion, and chopped garlic in a pan with some butter. Keep the ingredients moving, either by shaking the pan or stirring, to prevent them from burning as the sausage browns.

Once the onion starts to turn translucent, you can add the cooked fiddleheads to the pan. You might need to add a little more butter to prevent them from sticking to the pan.

fiddleheads in a pan with italian sausages and onions in a cast iron pan

Once the pasta is finished cooking, toss the noodles in the pan with the sauteed fiddleheads, sausage, and onion. Season the whole pan with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

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Recipe

a simple fiddlehead and sausage penne pasta in a cast iron pan

Spring Fiddlehead & Sausage Penne

Chef Markus Mueller

Take advantage of seasonal produce, especially when it's as short lived as fiddleheads! This light and easy to assemble fiddlehead pasta recipe perfect for a quick lunch or supper.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Pasta

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 2 servings

Calories 3402.3 kcal

Ingredients

2 cooked Italian sausages - sliced
1 small Spanish onion - julienned
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh or frozen fiddleheads - cooked
2 cups cooked penne pasta

Instructions

Cooking The Fiddleheads

Cook the fiddleheads first before starting the rest of the recipe.
Simmer the fiddleheads in a pot of water for 5 minutes and then strain them out and set the fiddleheads aside.
Discard the cooking water as it is very bitter and not palatable.

Saute The Remaining Ingredients

Saute the Italian sausage, julienne onion, and chopped garlic in a pan with some butter. Keep the ingredients moving, either by shaking the pan or stirring, to prevent them from burning as the sausage browns.
Once the onion starts to turn translucent, you can add the cooked fiddleheads to the pan.
Toss the noodles in the pan with the sauteed fiddleheads, sausage, and onion. Season the whole pan with salt and freshly cracked pepper.