Kitchen adventures: Pesto pasta with chicken sausage and brussels sprouts

Now that I’m re-addicted to Pinterest, I’m using it for one of the most “duh” purposes, finding recipes.

Yes, I’ve been bad in the kitchen lately but with some of the recipes I’m seeing shared, it makes me want to start up again!

And here a recipe I found there this week: pesto pasta with chicken sausage and brussel sprouts. OMFG yes.

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 , sliced into 1/4″ thick coins
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup pesto
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine brussels sprouts, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Then place on a foil-covered baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes. I used the larger sprouts and they were ready after 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Put remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet and cook sausage for 6-8 minutes (until browned). Watch out for spitting oil, it got me several times. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Cook pasta as directed. Save 1/4 cup pasta water to add at the end as needed.

Once pasta is done, combine sprouts, pasta, sausage and pesto in a large bowl and stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top as needed.

Verdict:

AMAZING. The entire dish is really flavorful without being too heavy. In fact, I could not stop snacking or “testing” this recipe before I put it together for dinner.

The pesto was really refreshing and the chicken sausage was a nice touch, especially if you get the spicy Italian chicken sausage, it gives a good kick.

I am adding this to my list of recipes I would cook for a boy. But for now, I’ll keep practicing on me to perfect it 🙂

What are you cooking lately?