Winter Pesto Pasta with Italian Sausage

A simple, 10-Ingredient Winter Pesto tossed with whole-wheat noodles and roasted Italian Sausage! A light, weeknight friendly meal that's perfect for Fall and Winter.

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Winter pesto? I know.. it sounds like the most crazy thing.

It most definitely was not the plan.

I was envisioning the creation of a nice BASIL pesto, tossing it with some chicken wings annnnd.. PRESTO, healthy quick dinner option. Sounds delicious right? Yeah.. I thought so too.

And then... No basil. No chicken wings. Grocery Store FAIL.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of grocery shopping with small children, let me enlighten you... it's unpleasant excruciating. Seriously.. who is the inventor of the "race-cart?" You know, the giant double wide monstrosity that takes the strength of 5 full grown women to push in an actual straight line.  If by some miracle you have the strength of "The Hulk" AND children that are actually willing to keep their arms, legs, and heads in the vehicle, there is still  the remaining issue of not 1, but 2 working horns. Excruciating.

WOW..who knew I had such deep seeded issues with grocery carts?

Focus .. Winter Pesto.

No basil. No chicken. NO WAY I was going to a second grocery store.

And so my friends, Winter (as in NOT made with basil because you CANNOT find it and if you do it costs $1,00,000) Pesto Pasta with Sausage (because HOW IN THE WORLD DOES A GROCERY STORE RUN OUT OF CHICKEN?) was created.

And can I be completely honest with you.. I'm not even one bit sorry about it.

The star of this recipe is definitely unexpected.. Kale.

Yep.. I said it. As if making pesto WITHOUT basil wasn't enough.. I replaced it with a cliche superfood. WHHAAA??  Is anybody even still reading?

Trust me, nobody was less enamored with the idea of kale pesto than me. 30 minutes in the kitchen preparing a sub par meal that nobody was going to even touch,  because KALE.

You guys.. they ate it. Every. Last. Bite.

I can't say no whining, because I like to keep it real.. and let's face it, pesto is REALLY REALLY green (which freaks kids out).

But... this creamy concoction of parmesan, pine nuts (or walnuts because maybe you think $800 is too much to spend on nuts), olive oil, garlic, cilantro, parsley, kale and a squeeze of lemon juice will not disappoint. Toss the pesto with some whole wheat pasta and top with a golden medallions of crispy Italian sausage and it's seriously delicious (and not in a .. it's not so bad considering the grocery store was out of basil type way).

Bottom line, make this winter pesto AND put it on all the things that you adore. You're welcome.

Time Saving Tips and Tricks:

Prep: You can make the pesto ahead of time. Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator with a tiny bit of olive oil drizzled over the top. You could also have the noodles pre-cooked and ready to go. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container. When you are ready to use them, drizzle them with a bit of warm water or chicken broth and warm over medium-low heat on the stove.

Make Ahead: This dish dries out a bit after being refrigerated. If you do want to eat the leftovers (and you should) just add a little bit of olive oil or chicken stock, stir, and then heat.

Freezer: Pesto is ideal for the freezer. You can use ice trays to freeze it in individual portions or just store it in a freezer safe mason jar. Top the pesto with a bit of olive oil to keep it from oxidizing (turning ugly brown), place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface, and screw on the lid (if using a mason jar).

📖 Recipe

Winter Pesto Pasta with Italian Sausage

★★★★ 4 from 1 review

• Author: Bailey Sissom
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

A simple, 10-Ingredient Winter Pesto tossed with whole-wheat noodles and roasted Italian Sausage! A light, weeknight friendly meal that's perfect for Fall and Winter.

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Ingredients

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• 8 oz. whole wheat pasta
• 1 lb. Italian chicken sausage
• 2 cups of kale, roughly chopped
• 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted (you can sub walnuts)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ⅓ cup parmesan
• about ½ cup olive oil + more for pasta
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425 and line a small baking dish with parchment paper. Place sausage on baking dish. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until sausage is golden brown. Slice sausage into ½ thick medallions and set aside.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions, set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine kale, parsley, cilantro, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and parmesan. Pulse until mixture has the consistency of bread crumbs. With processor running, drizzle in olive oil. Scrape sides of processor as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbs olive oil. When oil is warm, add the prepared pasta and toss to coat. Mix in winter pesto and prepared sausage. Top with additional parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

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Notes

• Pine nuts give pesto a creamy, buttery type vibe...buuuut they are expensive. I usually sub half walnuts to cut down on the cost.
• For a low-carb option, toss the pesto with spiraled zucchini or cauliflower rice instead of noodles.

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• You can  find Simply Sissom on Instagram where I share even more recipes (some that aren’t on the blog), behind the scenes pics and videos AND tips and tricks to make healthy eating realistic for your busy family.

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