This Italian sausage pesto pasta recipe uses simple ingredients and is easy to make. Mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions pack it with flavor!
This post is sponsored by DeLallo – thank you for supporting the brands that keep Salt & Lavender cooking! I only work with brands whose products I love. All opinions are my own.
This pasta dish is ready in just over 30 minutes and great for busy weeknights. I decided to use DeLallo's Casarecce Pasta for this recipe - the twists are perfect with this sauce! I love to use more unusual pasta shapes once in a while... it's one of those little things that puts a little pep in my dinner step!
DeLallo's pasta comes from the town where pasta was born, a region near Naples, at the beginning of the Amalfi Coast. Of course it would be lovely to visit there, but the next best thing is having their tasty pasta in your kitchen. DeLallo uses traditional methods of making pasta from the finest wheat to ensure the best quality products.
For the sauce, I use DeLallo's Simply Pesto, which is a traditional basil pesto that's ready to use right out of the jar. The pesto melds perfectly with the juice that's released from the grape tomatoes, and it adds a delicious herby flavor that puts the finishing touches on this tasty dish.
To make this pesto and sausage pasta, you start by browning the sausage meat, and then you take it out of the pan and sear the mushrooms and onions. That's a key step - getting a good sear on the sausage meat, onions, and mushrooms adds so much flavor to the dish. You then finish the sauce up by adding in the garlic, then adding the sausage back and stirring in the tomatoes, peppers, and a bit of chicken broth. Let it cook for a few minutes, and then stir in the pesto. I used a quarter cup of it, but feel free to add a bit more if you want a stronger pesto punch.
I always cook my pasta al dente because having a little bit of "bite" to the pasta is the best! DeLallo's casarecce is al dente in 8 minutes. I add some of the hot pasta water to the sauce prior to draining it, and the sauce comes together beautifully.
Recipe notes & tips:
- Want to make this dish spicy? Try using hot Italian sausages or adding some crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- I used cremini mushrooms, but feel free to substitute with white mushrooms or baby bellas.
- DeLallo products are available in stores across the U.S., and here in Canada Loblaws carries select products.
- For the sausage meat, I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of grocery store Italian sausages. Anything around 10 ounces will work just fine. Feel free to use sausage meat to skip the step of taking it out of the casings.
- 2 ounces of uncooked pasta per person is the general suggested serving size, but if you're not serving this dish with a side (try garlic bread), you may want to increase it a bit. I would suggest staying under using the full pound (one container) of pasta, though, so there's enough sauce to go around.
I hope you'll love this recipe as much as I do! It's hearty and just so good.
More sausage pasta recipes to try:
Let me know if you've made this sausage and pesto pasta recipe! Questions? Talk to me in the comments below!
Sausage Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked DeLallo Casarecce Pasta
- 10.6 ounces Italian sausages crumbled (see note)
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut into halves
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped fairly small
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup DeLallo Simply Pesto
- Salt & pepper to taste
- For garnish: freshly grated parmesan cheese & chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the casarecce pasta. Cook it al dente (8 minutes).
- Meanwhile, prep your vegetables. You can do some prep while the sausages are cooking to save time, but feel free to prep everything prior to starting the sauce if that's easier for you.
- Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a deep skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it's browned (about 5-7 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
- Leave the sausage grease in the pan and then add the mushrooms and onions (if there is very little grease then add about a teaspoon of olive oil). Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their water and they get a nice sear and the onions brown (about 5-6 minutes).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, peppers, chicken broth, and sausage to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for around 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have started to lose their shape and the chicken broth has reduced a bit.
- Add in the pesto (stir the jar first), then take the pan off the heat and ensure it's stirred in well. Add a splash of pasta water to the sauce (a couple tablespoons) prior to draining it, and then toss the drained pasta with the sauce. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.
Notes
- I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of Italian sausages. Anything in the 10 oz. ballpark works. Feel free to use sausage meat rather than pre-packaged sausages.
- If you're not serving this with a side or you've got hungry people to feed, you can definitely cook more than 2 ounces of pasta/person. I would stay under using the full pound of pasta, though, so there's enough sauce to go around.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Aly says
Curious if you think this would still hold up without the sausage?
Natasha says
I think you could definitely give it a try!
Kellie Harmon says
This was very easy to make and sooooo delicious! I did use the spicy Italian sausage and my own homemade pesto (because mine is the best and store bought sucks). This recipe is OUTSTANDING! Will definitely made again! Thank you for the recipe!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Please send me some of your homemade pesto. 😉
b says
Excellent meal! The only thing I did different was to add
more pasta water to make it have more sauce.
Loved it! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!
Craig R. says
Omg this was so good Natasha, especially with our garden fresh cherry tomatoes, a jalapeño for a touch of heat, and finished it with some fresh chopped basil. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! You're very welcome.
Dan Souleret says
I love this recipe! A few weeks back after a fishing trip, I made 10 Lbs of Salmon sausage and put in the freezer wondering what I could use it with. Yep, I used the salmon sausage with your recipe just as you wrote it and it turned out great. The flavors were outstanding. I took the dish over to my fishing buds for dinner and it was gone in a matter minutes. His family loved the pesto pasta! I will be making this recipe again and again. Thank you for your great recipe!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad that everyone liked it!! I've never had salmon sausage, but now I wanted to try! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Kristen says
I knew I’d enjoy this as soon as I saw it posted, I mean sausage, pasta, pesto... what could be bad?!?! Made this last night and it did not disappoint. I used spicy turkey sausage (which I had on hand) and otherwise followed the recipe as written. It turned out even better than expected and my whole family, even my pickiest picky eaters, devoured it. Delicious! Thank you for another awesome recipe!! 🙂
Natasha says
Aww that's awesome!! I'm so happy that everyone liked it, Kristen! 🙂