One Pan Sausage and Creamy Pesto Pasta

One Pan Sausage and Creamy Pesto Pasta is a cheesy, hearty, family-friendly, one-pan wonder that is on the table in just 20 minutes!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OnePanPronto #CollectiveBias

Can I be honest with you?  I'm kind of glad that summer is coming to a close.  When school first lets out for the summer, we celebrate by sleeping in in the morning, packing our days full of fun in the sun, and we stay up extra late just because we can.

It's fun to make summertime memories around the pool with the fam, but by the time September rolls around, this momma is ready to get back to the structure and routine that comes with fall and the start of a new school year.  I thrive on order, planning, and lists (Type A much?), so I welcome back-to-school with open arms.

My job as the stay-at-home mom (best job ever, btw) is to make sure that my kiddos are ready to take on the new year with confidence.  That means I need to make sure they are well-loved, well-rested, and well-fed.  To help make that happen, I like to fill my weekly dinner menu with hearty, fast, and delicious meals so that the kids can get bathed and in bed at a decent hour.

I am always on the lookout for new recipes that will get dinner on the table in a timely fashion and I've found a great new product that is going to make quick and easy dinners a breeze.

Let me introduce you to Barilla Pronto!

Love, love, love this.  As a No Kid Hungry Blogger, I'm a proud supporter of the No Kid Hungry movement and I am thrilled to work with Barilla to support such a worthwhile cause!

Now, let's talk about this delish recipe!

So, I know this looks just like all the other pasta out there, but this is no ordinary pasta, friends.  The wheat Barilla uses to make their pasta is natural and non-GMO, and when you use Barilla Pronto you can cook your entire meal in one pan.  Let me repeat, that's a one-pan pasta dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes.

It's one pan, no boil, no drain magic, friends.  Well, I call it magic, but what it really is is innovation!

When you use Barilla Pronto Pasta, there's no need to wait for the water to boil, and there's no draining required.  Pronto not only saves time but also uses 60% less energy and less water.  No wonder Barilla Pronto was selected for a Better Homes & Gardens Best New Product Award for 2016!

Heck, I'd give it an award just for helping me cut down on the dishes I have to wash!

To mix things up a bit, I decided to skip the tomato sauce and pair my pasta with Barilla's 100% All Natural Pesto sauce.  I picked up my Barilla Pronto pasta and the Barilla Pesto at Walmart in the pasta aisle.

To make this one-pan meal super hearty and a sure-win with my family, I added lots of cheese and some sliced chicken sausage to the pasta and pesto combo.  I rounded everything out with a nice big handful of spinach right at the end.

If your kiddos are a little picky about eating their greens, you could easily spoon out their servings and then mix in the spinach for the adults!  The same goes for the toasted pine nuts.  Don't like them?  Don't use them.  The dish will be just as good without, I'm just a sucker for tasty garnishes.

I will tell you, this recipe was easy peasy, super versatile, and totally family-friendly.  If you're like me, you are already brainstorming more recipes to make with this awesome pasta.

Oh yes, and one more thing before we get down to the official recipe nitty-gritty, I forgot to tell you that Barilla Pronto Pasta is not only available in penne, but half-cut spaghetti and rotini, too.  Now THAT gets my creative cooking juices flowing.

Which Barilla Pronto Pasta variety do you want to try first?

One Pan Sausage and Creamy Pesto Pasta

   

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 links fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 (12 oz) box Barilla® Pronto™ Penne
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (6.3 oz) jar Barilla® Pesto sauce
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped (optional)
• fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
• additional grated parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Place pine nuts in a dry 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook for 4 minutes until golden brown, stirring frequently.  Remove from pan and set aside.  
2. Add the olive oil to the pan and raise the heat to medium-high.  Cook the sliced chicken sausage in the oil for 5 minutes until browned.  Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Mix together the water, heavy cream, and pesto sauce.  Pour the whole box of pasta into the skillet and pour the liquid mixture over the pasta.  Raise the heat to high and cook pasta for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and optional spinach.  Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted.  Garnish with toasted pine nuts and additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

• Try substituting Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or omit the meat completely.
• Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #OnePanPronto!