Creamy Sausage And Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

⅓ cup DeLallo Sun-Dried Tomatoes, drained

¼ cup DeLallo Pine Nuts, toasted

¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

½ cup basil leaves, remove stems

2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed

2 tablespoons DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large clove garlic, left whole

pinch kosher salt, about ¼ teaspoon

few turns cracked black pepper, to taste

Pasta and Sauce

8 ounces DeLallo Tortiglioni Pasta, cook al dente

8 ounces mild ground Italian sausage

½ cup yellow onion, diced small

1.5 tablespoons DeLallo Tomato Paste

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto, homemade or DeLallo Simply Pesto Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil and Cheese

½ – ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth

¾ – 1 cup heavy cream

1.5 – 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Make the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Heat a small skillet and add the pine nuts over medium heat. Sauté and stir frequently until lightly golden brown. Remove the pine nuts from the heat and allow them to cool.

Combine drained sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic clove, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper in food processor. Buzz until combined but not fully paste.

Boil the Pasta

Boil the pasta according to the package, al dente is best. Drain off the excess water using a colander, drizzle with olive oil and set aside. Reserve some pasta water to use in case the sauce gets too thick.

Make the Sauce

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Spray it with avocado oil cooking spray. Add the sausage and brown. Break it down into small easy to eat pieces. Next, add the diced onion and sauté until tender.

Once tender, add the tomato paste and two tablespoons of the homemade sun-dried tomato pesto. Stir well. Extra pesto can be stored in an airtight container and used in recipes throughout the week.

Once the tomato paste has lightly caramelized, deglaze the pan with low sodium chicken broth. Scrape any pieces from the bottom of the pan. Next, reduce the heat to medium low and add the heavy cream. Stir well.

Finally, add the grated parmesan cheese. Once it’s well combined and melted, add the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper accordingly. Option to add red pepper flakes.