If you’ve never tried pesto, or maybe you’ve tried it and didn’t love it, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it made a little differently. Pesto is an Italian sauce or paste made from just five basic ingredients, but with plenty of room to tweak according to your taste. The essentials are basil, garlic, pine or almond nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. The beauty of pesto is that adjusting the quantities of each ingredient can dramatically change the flavor. That’s why today, I’m sharing two different versions of this pasta for you to try.
Using my Basil Pesto Recipe
When it comes to Italian sauces, you can get away with using cans or jars of Tomato based sauces like Spaghetti or Pizza Sauce. Pesto, however, is not one of them. They taste like crap. One of the reasons is because Pesto sauce and it’s core flavor relies on fresh herbs and ingredients that are absolutely destroyed in the canning of the product. Then theirs the added preservatives like Metabisulflites; they taste horrible. I know, because I use them to preserve homemade wine, which needs to age and not spoil and turn into vinegar by the time each bottle is opened. The point is, you should always use freshly made Pesto and it just so happens that I have an amazing PESTO RECIPE you can use.
Protein for your Pesto Pasta
In this recipe, I’ve chosen a simple breakfast sausage but Pesto is very versatile. I think most folks would use a mild or spicy Italian sausage, and that’s fine too, great in fact. I just love the flavor of a good American farm style sausage. Here are some other options, though, if you want to try different proteins. You can use Veil, Lamb, Shrimp & Scallops or something simple, like chicken. Just be sure to cook the meat, all the way through before adding all of the other ingredients.
Pasta for your Pesto
The most common pastas used with Pesto is Linguine, Fettuccine and Fusilli. Whether you realize this or not, most Italian sauce recipes require a specific pasta. These shapes are known for their ability to hold on the sauce, ensuring a flavorful and satisfying bite. Pesto, for example needs a pasta that has texture and grip. That’s why I believe you have other pasta options like Penne, Fusilli, Cavatappi or Radiatore pasta, just like I use in this recipe. These noodles hold the sauce just as well because their grooves grip the ingredients in the sauce, making each bite satisfying.
Similar Recipes and Pairings
Alfredo Sauce, Cheese Sauce, Pink or Vodka Sauce, Italian Sausage Recipe, How to Make Pasta, Bolognese Sauce, Pasta Carbonara, Spaghetti with Meatballs,
Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage Ingredients:
12 oz Pasta, Radiatore, Penne or Shells
1 lb Ground Breakfast Sausage, cooked
4 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 cup Pesto
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Basil Pesto Recipe
2 oz Basil, no stems
2 Garlic cloves, ground
1/4 cup whole Almonds, ground
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
1/2 tsp Pink Salt, Himalayan or Kosher
Here is the recipe for the alternate Pesto Sauce. Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage.
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