Pesto Pasta with Sausage ~
A savory and satisfying skillet dinner made with spicy plant-based sausage and pasta tossed in a simple pesto sauce.
Ready to serve in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients for Pesto Pasta with Sausage:
- 16 ounces medium-size pasta of your choice
- 14 ounces vegan sausage links
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces prepared vegan pesto
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese, shredded
A few notes about the ingredients:
- For convenience, I sometimes use store-bought pesto. Trader Joe’s makes an awesome kale-based vegan pesto and that is what I used for this recipe. Homemade Vegan Basil Pesto is also amazing in this dish!
- The sausages are Beyond Meat Hot Italian.
- For the parmesan cheese, Violife brand is my go-to lately.
How to make Pesto Pasta with Sausage:
STEP ONE: Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain and set aside.
STEP TWO: While the pasta is cooking: Into a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, add the sliced sausage. Cook until browned on both sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and set aside.
STEP THREE: Into the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion. Cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes until onion is softened. Reduce heat to low.
STEP FOUR: Add the pesto, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
STEP FIVE: Putting it all together: To the pesto mixture, add the cooked pasta and reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Toss to coat.
STEP SIX: Add the shredded parmesan cheese and cooked sausage.
STEP SEVEN: Increase heat to medium then cover for about 2-3 minutes, to heat through.
STEP EIGHT: Adjust seasoning to taste and serve hot.
Enjoy!
More Pesto-Based Recipes You’ll Love!
Baked Pesto Tofu – Basil pesto is tossed with tofu that has been seasoned and roasted with simple spices for a savory dish that is practically effortless.
Vegan Ravioli in Spinach Pesto Alfredo Sauce – Fresh ravioli is combined with an easy, cheesy homemade vegan pesto Alfredo sauce and fresh spinach for an easy and decadent dinner that was completely devoured by my family!
Springtime Pesto Fettuccine – Fancy enough for company but quick and easy enough for every day. This colorful pasta dinner goes from stovetop to dining table in 30 minutes or less.
Pesto Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
- 16 ounces medium-size pasta of your choice
- 14 ounces vegan sausage links
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup yellow onion diced
- 8 ounces prepared vegan pesto
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking:
- Into a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, add the sliced sausage. Cook until browned on both sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and set aside.
- Into the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion. Cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes until onion is softened. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the pesto, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
Putting it all together:
- To the pesto mixture, add the cooked pasta and reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Toss to coat.
- Add the shredded parmesan cheese and cooked sausage.
- Increase heat to medium then cover for about 2-3 minutes, to heat through.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve hot.
Cat
Are you leaving the fake casing on the sausages? I find it always comes off when you cut the beyond meat spicy Italian links.
thiswifecooks
For this recipe, yes, I do leave the casings on. What works for me is slicing the sausages quickly with a sharp knife while they’re still very cold. Sometimes I’ll even pop them in the freezer for about 15 minutes before slicing. Hope this helps!