Sausage Pesto Pasta Food

CREAMY PESTO PENNE WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook penne at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain and transfer pasta to a bowl.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; add to pasta.
• Whisk pesto sauce mix, milk, and olive oil together in a small saucepan; bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and keep at a simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes; pour over pasta and sausage mixture and toss to coat.

PESTO PASTA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Slice sausages into 1/4" slices. Set aside.
• Peel and thinly slice onion. Set aside.
• Rinse cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
• Cook pasta "al dente" according to pasta directions.
• Add butter and olive oil to large saute pan. Heat, over medium/high heat until butter is melted. Add sliced sausage and cook until lightly brown. Add in sliced onions, reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes longer.
• Drain cooked pasta, reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Do not rinse pasta. Set aside.
• Add pesto sauce and cherry tomatoes to sausage and onions. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes begin to burst. Stir occasionally.
• Add drained pasta, along with reserved pasta water. Start with 1/2 cup of the pasta water and add more as needed. The pasta water, along with the pesto and parmesan cheese turn into a delicious sauce.
• Stir in parmesan cheese and gently stir.
• Plate, top with extra parmesan and some red pepper flakes (optional).
• ENJOY!!

SAUSAGE PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Boil a large, salted pot of water for the casarecce pasta. Cook it al dente (8 minutes).
• Meanwhile, prep your vegetables. You can do some prep while the sausages are cooking to save time, but feel free to prep everything prior to starting the sauce if that's easier for you.
• Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a deep skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it's browned (about 5-7 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
• Leave the sausage grease in the pan and then add the mushrooms and onions (if there is very little grease then add about a teaspoon of olive oil). Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their water and they get a nice sear and the onions brown (about 5-6 minutes).
• Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomatoes, peppers, chicken broth, and sausage to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for around 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have started to lose their shape and the chicken broth has reduced a bit.
• Add in the pesto (stir the jar first), then take the pan off the heat and ensure it's stirred in well. Add a splash of pasta water to the sauce (a couple tablespoons) prior to draining it, and then toss the drained pasta with the sauce. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.

SPINACH PESTO PASTA WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, pulse 2 cups spinach, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon each olive oil and nuts, the lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides; add the parmesan and pulse until smooth. Set the pesto aside.
• Form the sausage into nickel-size patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic to the skillet and cook until the patties are just cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
• Add the pasta, pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to the skillet. Toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 2 cups spinach. Top with parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon nuts; drizzle with olive oil.

SAUSAGE AND PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add sausage; cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until heated through and evenly browned on both sides. Transfer to cutting board; cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Return to skillet.
• Drain pasta. Add to skillet along with the pesto sauce; mix lightly. Cook on medium heat 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes.

BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the sausage and onion.
• Cook, breaking sausage up with a spoon, for about 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring frequently to cook onion evenly.
• Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add marinara sauce and reduce heat to medium.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.
• Stir in pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Cook penne in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until al dente.
• Drain well.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Oil a 9-x-13-inch baking dish.
• Spread a thin layer of sauce over bottom of dish.
• In a large bowl, combine pasta with remaining sauce, the Gouda or mozzarella, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and spinach, mixing well.
• Spoon mixture into prepared dish and sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan over top.
• Bake for about 30 minute or until casserole begins to bubble and cheese is browned.
• Serve hot.

PASTA WITH BELL PEPPERS, PESTO AND SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Remove casing from sausage links. Heat skillet, and add links. Break up meat while cooking (like ground beef consistancy) Cook until nicely browned.
• Place on paper plate with paper towel to soak up extra grease. Place aside until needed.
• Wash tomatoes and slice up into workable size. Place in food processor.
• Peel garlic cloves and place in processor with tomatoes.
• Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice from one half on top of tomatoes and garlic on food processor.
• Wash basil and cilantro. Place herbs in food processor as well.
• Process until all tomatoes are chopped up - NOT until smooth. You want a little chunkiness. Sauce will be a little watery. (I have thought about adding a small can of tomato paste or something here to thicken the sauce and make it more like what you would get out of a jar, however I have never tried it so I'm not sure how it would work/taste.).
• Wash and cut up pepper. Cut into slices and then cut the slices in half.
• Place tomato sauce in pan and add in meat. Heat for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until warm. Add in pepper for a few minutes and cook until desired firmness. (I only put them in for about 2-3 minutes as I like them just warm, and still crunchy.).
• Mix sauce with warm pasta, stir in pesto and serve ENJOY!

RICOTTA-PESTO PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, for about 9 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked.) Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Set aside.
• While pasta is cooking, place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and leave grease in the pan.
• Add oil to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minutes. Add kale, nutmeg, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook until kale is soft, 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Return sausage back to the pan. Add ricotta, pesto, and 6 ounces mozzarella cheese. Add reserved pasta and cooking water. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Pour into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle remaining mozzarella over top. Cover with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.