Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta
Super Quick and Easy 4 Ingredient Meal! Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta is an awesome meal that is quick and versatile! Use Italian sausage or spicy sausage for a kick. Or, you can also use Italian turkey sausage and chicken sausage which tastes just as awesome! Done in under 30 minutes, this is a great midweek meal for the family. Definitely give this one a try!
Super Easy Dinner!
I know many of you are like me – I love simple and easy dinners! During the hectic weekdays and the insane demands we have on our time. To have a meal that’s quick, easy, delicious, and inexpensive is like gold when planning out a midweek meal. No matter how well we plan our week, we all know that something unexpected pops up more often than we would like.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my complex meals as well. However, it’s unrealistic to make those all that often. So, during the normal crazy week, we all need these kind of meals.
Besides what are considered normal cooking items like salt, pepper, and olive oil, this meal has only 4 ingredients. That’s right – FOUR! That’s what makes this so easy!
However, this isn’t only easy . . . no, no, no. This also tastes amazing!!!
Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta
I always give credit to my wife for her culinary creations, and this is one of hers. We were dirt poor during the recession in the 2000’s. Like many, my business crumbled and we were next to destitute. So we didn’t have much to work with.
Like we did often at that time, my wife looked in the fridge and pantry to see what we had on hand that night and just through this together. This was so amazing! She was really surprised I liked it that much.
Since then, I’ve made this countless times using a variety of pestos, pastas, and sausages.
What Ingredients Are in Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta?
- Link Sausage
- Ricotta Cheese
- Basil Pesto
- Penne Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt
Ingredient Notes
Sausage – we have used so many different types of sausage with this: Italian turkey sausage, spicy turkey sausage, chicken sausage. But our favorite is spicy sausage. Feel free to mix it up!
Basil Pesto – this is also amazing with roasted red pepper pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, and Avocado Pesto.
Penne Pasta – I like using penne because of its size. But I have also used cavatappi and rigatoni.
How Is Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta Made?
- Place the sausage in a medium saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil, and par-boil the sausage for 5 minutes. This will help to cut the sausage easier and get rid of a lot of the grease.
- At the same time you start boiling the water for the sausage, begin boiling the water for the pasta and cook it according to the instructions. Be sure to salt the water!
- Once the pasta is cooked, put it in a serving bowl and mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Cover and let sit.
- Once the sausage is parboiled, drain and let cool enough for you to be able to handle it. Slice the sausage on a diagonal, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook through, about 3 minutes depending on how cooked it got from boiling.
- Next, add the ricotta cheese and pesto and stir until the cheese is melted and the pesto is thoroughly mixed.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and mix in.
- Top with fresh parsley.
What Can I Do with the Leftovers?
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat it in a skillet on medium heat. Be careful to not melt the cheese too much.
You can freeze this, but the cheese may separate. I would recommend keeping it no more than 3 months.
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Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Click on these links for other great Mediterranean recipes! Or type in “Mediterranean ” in the search bar to find even more recipes!
Balsamic Garlic Chicken and Pasta
Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
Chicken Saltimbocca Fettuccine
Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Link Sausage
- 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Pesto
- 1/2 pound Penne Pasta
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Salt
Instructions
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Place the sausage in a medium sauce pan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil, and par-boil the sausage for 5 minutes. (This will help to cut the sausage easier)
-
At the same time you start boiling the water for the sausage, begin boiling the water for the pasta and cook it according to the instructions. Be sure to salt the water!
-
Once the pasta is cooked, put it in a serving bowl and mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Cover and let sit.
-
Once the sausage is parboiled, drain and let cool enough for you to be able to handle it. Slice the sausage on a bias, about 1/4 inch thick.
-
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook through, about 3 minutes.
-
Next, add the ricotta cheese and pesto and stir until the cheese is melted and the pesto is thoroughly mixed.
-
Add the pasta to the skillet and mix in.
-
Top with fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
Sausage - we have used so many different types of sausage with this: Italian turkey sausage, spicy turkey sausage, chicken sausage. But our favorite is spicy sausage. Feel free to mix it up!
Basil Pesto - this is also amazing with roasted red pepper pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, and Avocado Pesto.
Penne Pasta - I like using penne because of its size. But I have also used cavatappi and rigatoni.
