Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 20m

Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

·       3/4  pound  orecchiette

·       1/2  pound  green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

·       1  cup  frozen peas

·       1  tablespoon  olive oil

·       8  ounces  fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced

·       1/3  cup  pesto

·       1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. 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 them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).

Tip

This recipe is also delicious with uncooked Italian sausage. Remove it from the casing and cook until no longer pink before adding it to the pasta and vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calories 666; Fat 26g; Sat Fat 7g; Cholesterol 67mg; Sodium 913mg; Protein 32g; Carbohydrate 76g; Sugar 5g; Fiber 9g; Iron 4mg; Calcium 291mg