Brian's Chicken Sausage Pesto Pasta

A kid-friendly but still sophisticated pasta dish with chicken sausage. Can easily be modified to your liking. We used a mixture of pastas (penne, farfalle, rotini) because 2-year-old Brian mixed the boxes together!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Calories: 477 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ⅓ cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon pesto
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 (14.5 ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 pound fresh chicken sausage, casings removed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken sausage and onion. Cook until chicken is browned and no longer pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and mix in pesto. Add tomatoes with juice and chicken broth. Simmer sauce until slightly reduced, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 3

Pour cream into the sauce. Simmer until reduced to your desired thickness, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour sauce into the pot of cooked penne. Mix thoroughly. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese to your liking.