I found this delicious Chicken Sausage Pesto Pasta recipe from Real Simple – one of my favorite sources for quick and easy recipes. A reader (thanks Alexis!!) has requested that I try and photograph the recipes I write about so I’ll do my best from now on. Last night I had eaten half my dinner before I remembered so I had to combine my portion with Jeff’s to have enough for a photograph….that recipe coming in a few weeks π
Chicken Sausage Pesto Pasta Recipe
12 oz. pasta (the recipe called for orecchiette but Trader Joe’s didn’t have a whole wheat variety so we used whole wheat penne)
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
1 T. olive oil
8 Oz. fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, fully sliced (we love the Spicy Italian variety from Trader Joe’s – YUM)
1/3 c. pesto (we used fresh pesto again from TJ’s)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan (2 oz.)
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Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6-8 minutes.
Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and 1/s c. of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine. If the pasta seems dry add a bit more cooking water.
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How easy was that??!! When I re-heated it for lunch the next day I threw in some arugula and wilted it when I was heating it up – I tend to like less pasta and more ingredients so ended up eating around much of the penne π
Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe link – I’ll check that out. Funnily enough it was your sister who encouraged me to start taking pictures….she said you always scold her when she sends you a recipe without a photo π
btw – check out http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/the-minimalist-pasta-with-anchovies-and-arugula/
awesome! i’ve been doing a very similar thing with roasted chicken tenders and broccoli. love the pic too!