Go Back
Print
Sausage with Pesto Cheese Sauce

Sausage with Pesto Cheese Pasta

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword 30 minute meal, basil pesto, Italian, italian sausage, penne, pesto, ricotta
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

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

  1. 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)

  2. 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! 

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook through, about 3 minutes.

  6. Next, add the ricotta cheese and pesto and stir until the cheese is melted and the pesto is thoroughly mixed.

  7. Add the pasta to the skillet and mix in.

  8. 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.