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!
love love this!! I used spicy sausage.I had added a little lemon sauce flavor.You do not have to it is great ether way.
Awesome, sounds delicious!
Thank you for sharing. This has become a staple recipe in our house. We absolutely love it, and it’s so easy.
Love this! I have made it about 5x now, exactly as the recipe calls. My husband asks for it every other week. Even my 18 month old eats it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Brooke — we’re so glad to hear that!! :D
Oh my!!! I made this tonight with the tortellini and the pine nuts and I used a whole container of Parmesan cheese. Lol. This was so delicious!!! My hubby said it tasted like restaurant quality food. Lots of leftovers too. May even be good cold. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Dwana, we’re so happy you and your hubby loved this! Thanks for sharing with us! :)
Perfect combination. Delicious! I made as is and my two boys (9 and 11) loved it and husband too. Next time I will try the cheese tortellini, roasted pine nuts, and some sun dried tomatoes. Thank you!!
Thanks Sheri, we’re so happy you and your family loved this! :)
Do you have the nutritional information for this dish?
Hi Sarah! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
I LOVE this recipe. I make it at-least once a month. I’m single and can make about 5 meals off of it. It also freezes really well! I’ve tried different pastas, sausage and pre-made pesto– so its always a little different. I’ve also made it as a meal to take to other people (after a baby, surgery, etc) and its great since it can be frozen or reheated and taste just as good as when its first made!
Thank you, Stephanie, that’s so great! : D
I made this with spicy sausage and zucchini noodles instead of regular noodles and it was so delicious! Loved the recipe!
Want to try this. currently living in Japan, no fresh brussels here. Do think frozen would work if I thawed them first of coarse. Thx
Hey Christine! Wow, I hope you’re enjoying Japan! I think you could totally do this with frozen and thawed brussels, good luck!
I made this tonight and used zucchini noodles instead of pasta, it was amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I will definately be making this one again!