Busy Night, Fancy Bite: Sausage & Shellfish Pasta

Name: Sausage and Shellfish Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 oz spaghetti; 2 lemons, halved and grilled; 1 lb mussels, rinsed; 1 lb clams, rinsed; 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined; ½ lb mild Italian sausage; 10 cherry tomatoes; 1 shallot, diced; 4 baby portobellos, sliced; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 garlic cloves, minced; Salt & pepper to taste; ¾ cup white wine; 1 cup reserved pasta water

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Weeknight chaos meets culinary magic with this lightning-fast one-pot Sausage and Shellfish pasta. When takeout sounds boring but you’re still juggling soccer drop-off, laundry piles, and inbox pings, this is the recipe that lets you serve elegance in under 30 minutes—without losing your sanity.

Top-down view of a full skillet of seafood pasta with shrimp, mussels, clams, grilled lemons, and spaghetti on a rustic wood table.

This pasta is a savory swirl of browned Italian sausage, plump shrimp, and tender shellfish all tangled in spaghetti and dressed in a zippy garlic-lemon-white wine sauce. What makes it magic? Grilled lemons. Smoky citrus is the twist your weeknight pasta didn’t know it needed.

How to Make Sausage and Shellfish Pasta

Boil: Cook spaghetti 1 minute shy, reserve some pasta water.
Brown: Cook sausage, add shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes, thyme, garlic.
Simmer: Pour wine + grilled lemon juice, reduce by half.
Finish: Toss pasta in sauce, add shellfish, cover and cook until opened and pink.

Step-by-step collage showing the progression of a seafood pasta recipe: from raw ingredients, to browning sausage and adding pasta, then incorporating seafood, grilled lemons, and broth before cooking.

Tips & Tricks for Pasta Night Bliss

Grill your lemon: Slice and grill an hour early for the best smoky brightness.
Don’t skip the pasta water: It helps the sauce cling and shine.
Use tongs: Hot grilled citrus gets slippery—save your fingertips.

Close-up of seafood pasta featuring mussels, shrimp, clams, and grilled lemon slices on spaghetti in a flavorful broth.

Add-Ins and Swaps

Swap sausage for plant-based chorizo to keep it pescatarian.
Add spinach or chopped kale for a green boost.
No mussels? Sub with extra shrimp or chopped calamari.

This dinner brings the coastal getaway straight to your table—without booking a sitter or tackling the drive-thru. Whether you’re entertaining or just clinging to the end of a Tuesday, this pasta is proof that fast can still be fancy.

Sausage and Shellfish Pasta

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Author: Leah
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 – servings 1x

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Description

This sausage and shellfish pasta is a weeknight showstopper—juicy sausage, tender shrimp, mussels, and clams tossed in a garlicky lemon wine sauce that’s bright, bold, and ready in 30. It’s a one-pot wonder that feels fancy without the fuss, perfect for when you want to impress without stressing.

Ingredients

Units Scale

8 oz spaghetti
2 lemons, halved and grilled
1 lb mussels, rinsed
1 lb clams, rinsed
1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage
10 cherry tomatoes
1 shallot, diced
4 baby portobellos, sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup reserved pasta water

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Instructions

Grill lemons, set aside.
Boil pasta 1 minute shy, save 1 cup of water.
Brown sausage. Add shallot, mushrooms, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper. Sauté till tomatoes burst.
Add wine + juice of 1 grilled lemon. Simmer till reduced.
-Toss in pasta + pasta water. Simmer uncovered 2–3 mins.
Add seafood, cover till shellfish opens and shrimp is pink (~5–7 mins).
Serve with grilled lemon wedges and garlic bread.