A fulfilling and delicious weeknight dinner does not have to be overly complicated. In fact, sometimes simple and easy just tastes better for the pure fact that you’re not exhausted after making it. This vibrant dinner recipe highlights the bright, herbaceous goodness of pesto, enriched with savory Italian sausage, crisp asparagus, and toasted pine nuts. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a touch of heavy cream bring it all together for a satisfying meal that’s ready to go in a flash yet still incredibly tasty.
What is Pesto?
Bright green and all over Italian cuisine, pesto comes from the Liguria region of Italy. The freshness of pesto is one of its main appeals. Even premade pesto hangs onto that same attribute. To make pesto, mortar and pestle press together basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil. As one it turns into a herbaceous, savory sauce. It’s what you’ll toss pasta in, spread onto flatbread pizzas, or even enjoy on top of a salad. We use it in this Easy Pesto Pasta recipe since it has such a big flavor in a tiny package.
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Easy Pesto Pasta
Description
Who knew you could upgrade store-bought pesto to chef-quality?
Ingredients
- 1 lb loose Italian sausage
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 bunch asparagus chopped
- 1 cup store bought pesto
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Juice of one lemon
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown Italian sausage, use a spatula to break up the sausage into bite sized pieces.
- Once the sausage is browned, add pine nuts and cook for 1 minute, just until the pine nuts are toasty and fragrant.
- Add the chopped asparagus to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and tender.
- Add in 1 cup of store bought pesto, and heavy cream. Stir together until a thick sauce is formed. Add the juice of one lemon and serve over your favorite pasta.
- Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
Recipe and Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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