So, I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s now carries about 43 varieties of chicken sausage. Ok, maybe just 10. But still — SO MUCH CHICKEN SAUSAGE!!!
Today felt like a good day to be a part of the fad, so I brought home some of their spicy Italian (I know – the least creative) variety and a batch of adorable little brussels sprouts to make some pasta. Between the two of those ingredients cooking, the house already smelled amazing. But then add in some garlic and fresh pesto, and then top the warm pasta with Parmesan cheese….and holy cow. This impromptu little recipe is definitely going down in the books. Easy, and très-delish!!
I’m already looking forward to the leftovers. :)
How To Cut Brussels Sprouts | 1-Minute Video
Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This pesto pasta with chicken sausage and roasted brussels sprouts is a hearty and delicious meal, made healthier with (lighter) chicken sausage and lots of brussels sprouts.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and any yellowed/browned outer leaves removed, then sliced in half
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 lb (16 oz.) orecchiette (or any pasta)
- 4 chicken sausage links (I used spicy Italian), sliced into 1/4″ thick coins
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pesto
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together brussels sprouts, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-combined.
- Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spread the brussels sprouts on it evenly. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring once partway through, or until they are crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside. (My batch of tiny sprouts only took about 12 minutes to cook.) Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until nearly-browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.
- Cook the pasta in generously-salted boiling water until al dente according to the package directions. (I begin heating my water while preparing the brussel sprouts, and added the pasta to the boiling water just after beginning to cook the sausage.) Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water (reserving 1/4 cup pasta water), and then toss together the pasta, pesto, cooked sausage and garlic, and brussels sprouts. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed for extra moisture.
- Serve warm, and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
This would be even better sprinkled with some toasted pine nuts!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I found this recipe on Pinterest. I have made it every 1-2 weeks for the last couple of months. Everyone in my family loves it. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this recipe after finding it on Pinterest. My boyfriend LOVES brussels and I love pesto so I had to give it a try. I went the quick route and got the “steam-in-a-bag” brussels, steamed them in the micro, seasoned them, then roasted them for 10 minutes. Also my store was out of that type of pasta, but I used bowtie and it worked great. Thanks for a awesome recipe that I will be making many more times!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good but I would make a few changes in the future. First, based on the amount of protein/veggies I assumed it would be roughly 4-6 servings and 1 pound of pasta was wayyy too much. I would probably use a 1/2 pound next time. Second, the dish wasn’t really saucy enough, but using less pasta would fix this. Finally, I love Brussels sprouts, but they kind of fell apart in the pasta. The flavor is also a little too rich to mesh with the other flavors. Broccoli or asparagus would be a great sub! Was definitely tasty and an easy weeknight recipe.
Anyone tried this with something other than brussel sprouts? No one in my family is a big fan of them.
I made this in a small town with no brussels sprouts to be had in the store. I had a small container of sprouts, and I combined it with 1-inch pieces of asparagus. It tasted almost as good! But honestly, sprouts cooked this way are pretty dang awesome.
Hi! I’m new to your site and this is the first recipe I’ve made from here. I’m a HUGE fan of this meal, it was a total crowd pleaser. Thanks and I’ll be coming back very regularly!
I will also be preparing this tonight. I will let you know how it turned out. :)
Hiya! I’m planning on trying this out, but wondering if you can tell me about how many servings it is. Thanks!
I made this tonight… so yummy!
I had gotten Brussels sprouts at the
Farmers market and found this on pinterest. Happen to have home made pesto and all the rest. I had mushrooms to use up, so I sautéed them and added to the mix. So good. Will be making this again soon. Thanks for sharing.
I am making this tonight for the 2nd time in two weeks. It’s amazing! Will be using steam-in-bag brussel sprouts this time (nuked for 3 mins) and roasted for about 10 mins or so. Can’t wait for dinner! Thanks for the great recipe.