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.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can sub walnuts)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/3 cup parmesan
- about 1/2 cup olive oil + more for pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 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 1/2 thick medallions and set aside.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions, set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
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.