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!
Just came across of this recipe through Pinetrest :) It looks amazing and probably tastes amazing and I want to try it asap but I have a little concern though… when you bake the brussels sprouts, do they fragrance your home with this “delightful” fart smell ?
Thanks!
Ha, I haven’t heard that before. They smell like brussels sprouts to me. But mostly you’ll smell the chicken sausage cooking. If you like the ingredients, I vote you give it a try!
Hey Ali,
This recipe looks delicious! I have recently started a blog site of my own (www.anothersahdday.com) and have it as my featured recipe of the week. I look forward to making this recipe this week.
Allen
How many servings is this?
4-6 servings.
This recipe is super tasty! I added onion and mushrooms to the brussels and sun dried tomatoes and a wee bit of chardonnay to the turkey sausage and it was amazing! Love the previous post about capers and balsamic vinegar. I will definitely try that next time! Thanks for the recipe and the tips too!
This dinner was awesome! Flavorful and delicious!!
Hi, I found your recipe on Pinterest and made it last night and it was so delicious!!! I subbed in beer bratwurst, added balsamic vinegar to the brussel sprouts, and added in some capers to the final product and it was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, totally a keeper!
This looks so amazing – all my favorite things in one dish! I’m making it tomorrow, I’m going to shred the sprouts and cook them up with some bacon and add those pine nuts! :)
This was delicious! I’m a vegetarian, so I substituted the sausage with Field Roast vegetarian sausage. I would agree that it could have used half the amount of pasta. I’ll definitely make this again!
This is my husband’s favorite thing I’ve made from gimmesomeoven! I followed the recipe as is – easy, tasty and definitely on the healthy(ish) side.
I usually find that the easiest of recipes are the tastiest. I like the orecchiette in it.