Simple Pesto Pasta

If I could describe my style of cooking in three words, it would be simple, nutritious, and tasty. This pesto pasta dish is the epitome of all the above.

As I was running behind on cooking dinner a few weeks ago ( typical!) I thought, “what’s the easiest thing I can whip up right now?”. With chickpea pasta and leftover pesto in my pantry, pesto pasta was the answer. I dashed to the store and bought chicken sausage (precooked and one of my easiest ways to add protein) and some veg to spruce it up.

This is the perfect late summertime dish to fill your belly - and will leave you with plenty of leftovers! Or not… no one is judging :)

Ingredients

- 8 oz. of dried pasta (i used banza for the first time and liked it a lot)

- 2 small yellow squash or zucchini

- 3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

- 2 big handfuls of spinach

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 chicken sausages, sliced

- drizzle of olive oil

- salt & pepper

- 2 tablespoons of pesto

Instructions

1. Boil a pot of water and cook pasta according to instructions.

2. In a large pan, sauté olive oil, garlic, squash/zucchini, and chicken sausage until fully cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. (tip: add some pasta water to the pan to lightly steam the vegetables)

3. Add freshly chopped tomatoes and spinach. sauté gently until spinach cooks down. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer cooked pasta to a large bowl, add pesto, and stir until fully combined. Add sautéed veggie and sausage mix on top and combine.

5. Option to top with basil, cheese, nuts, etc!! ENJOY!

Xo,

Mon