Pesto Pasta w/Sausage and Veggies

Naturally, since I've been working my way through our 12 pounds of pasta, it was time to introduce a pesto pasta into the mix.  I made my own basil walnut pesto which turned out herbaceous and amazing.  To pair with the herb flavor profile of the pesto, I chose some sweet Italian pork sausage, zucchini, kale, and cherry tomatoes.  This combination gives you all the flavors you want - a little bitterness from the kale, saltiness from the sausage, and a bright punch of sweet acidity from the cherry tomatoes.  I love that pastas like this can be eaten either hot or cold too.  It's great hot for dinner one night and cold for lunch the next day.  It's honestly perfect on its own, but I did add a poached egg once just to see how it would taste.  I'm of the belief that you can put a poached egg on top of just about anything, so of course it was super tasty.

Pasta is really such an amazing vehicle for flavor.  You can do pretty much anything with pasta and it'll still taste good.  Some people don't eat pasta because it's "not good for you," but I think they need to re-evaluate how they're eating pasta.  This dish is loaded with veggies and protein and has a little bit of pasta.  It's all about finding the right balance for your diet and putting things together that taste great.  You can hardly even see the noodles in this picture because there are so many veggies blocking your view.  So the next time you think you can't eat pasta because it's not "healthy," I want you to think about how you can make it a little healthier and then go for it!

Total Time: 20-30 minutes

Servings: 5-6

Ingredients:

4 large zucchinis

16 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 lbs sweet Italian pork sausage

2 cups dried pasta (shape of your choice)

2 cups basil pesto

4 cups dinosaur kale

2 tbs olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Optional: grated parmesan for topping

Instructions:

1. Chop your zucchini into bite-sized pieces and take the ribs out of the kale.
2. De-case your sausage and add it to medium heat in a large skillet.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, breaking into small bits as you stir, until cooked through.
3. While the sausage is cooking, boil a large pot of salted water and cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.
4. Once your other 2 pots are started, add your zucchini and olive oil with a pinch of salt to a large pot on medium heat.  Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding the kale.  Continue to cook for 4-6 additional minutes, until zucchini is tender.
5. Once the zucchini is cooked through, add your pasta and pesto sauce to the pot and stir until combined.  Salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the sausage will bring additional salt to the dish.
6. Stir in your sausage and taste.  Plate your pasta and top with a handful of tomatoes and parmesan.

When I first started chopping the zucchini for this recipe, I thought it would be way too much, but it turned out to be the perfect amount.  I don't like my zucchinis to lose too much water while they're cooking because then they get soggy and mushy, so I only add a touch of salt while they're cooking.  Most vegetables that have a lot of water in them will lose water as they cook and salt will help draw that water out.  If you've ever drained a bunch of spinach or mushrooms after salting & cooking them, you know what I'm talking about.  So in order to keep them slightly firm, just minimally salt them at this stage and do one final salt & pepper once you've combined all your ingredients.

Once the zucchini is tender and kale is cooked, add the pasta and pesto to the pot and stir until combined.  Make sure your pot or pan is off so the pasta does not continue to cook.  Your pan will still be warm, which is fine.

Add the sausage and do one last taste & seasoning before you plate.

I love the freshness & sweetness that the raw tomatoes added to the dish.  Plus, it adds a great pop of color to the pictures!

Again, Ryan isn't a big pasta eater, but he loved this dish!  And since the pesto didn't have any parmesan in it, he could enjoy it while I topped my pasta with a pinch of parm.

Nutrition Facts: 

Protein: 19g

Carbs: 28g

Fat: 40g

Calories: 550

*This is an approximation based off 6 servings in this recipe, not including the optional parmesan topping