Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage

Large dish with green Basil Pesto Radiatore Pasta cooked with breakfast sausage.

The Best Pesto Pasta

If you’ve never had Pesto or you did and didn’t think you liked it, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it prepared differently. Pesto is an Italian sauce/paste that is 5 basic ingredients that can be improved or lessoned upon, depending on your desired tastes. Thos ingredients are Basil, Garlic, Pine or Almond nuts, Garlic, Olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Depending on how much you add of each can change the desired outcome of the pesto, completely. That’s why, today, I’m going to offer you 2 different recipes for this pasta.

1 lb of Cooked Jimmy Dean Sausage in a large pan on the stove.

Protein for your Pesto Pasta

Whether you realize this or not, most Italian sauce recipes require a specific pasta. Pesto, for example needs a pasta that has texture and grip. That’s why it’s good to use pastas like Penne, Fusilli, Cavatappi or Radiatore pasta, just like I use in this recipe. These noodles hold the sauce in there grooves and it’s just as important to choose which protein, best fits your dish.

In this recipe, I’ve chosen a simple breakfast sausage but Pesto is very versatile. 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.

How to cook Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

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.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Pesto

Easy Grilled Lamb Chops with Pesto

I say these Grilled lamb Chops are easy to make because Lamb Chop recipes are simple and incredibly delicious, to boot. I’m telling you, if you’re a steak fan, a rack of lamb, prepared properly, will blow your mind. I, for one, now understand why there are so many historical stories about sacrificial lambs. Okay, I might not get the whole religion part but I get that giving up and slaughtering your own lamb truly is a sacrifice, if you’re not gettin’ any! I mean, COME ON! Lamb Chops are sooo tasty.

The Secret to Grilled Lamb Chops

When you’re preparing Grilled Lamb Chops, all you need to do is clean them up a bit. That means, trim the fat and remove the Silver Skin from the meat. This will keep them lean and less chewy to eat. If you want to get super fancy, you can French the bones as well but unless you’re serving the president, or someone that thinks they’re royalty, it really isn’t necessary. Plus, sucking the fat off the bones is one of the best things about eating Lamb Chops, so don’t deprive yourself of that. Go a head and let heart disease settle on in and enjoy yourself, for crying out loud.

Now, after you’ve cleaned the rack, you can Salt and Pepper and grill as is or cut it into Lamb Chop portions before you grill. Either way it will turn out the same, so it’s entirely up to you. You’re going to need a good Pesto and you can either buy it premade or you can try my recipe. I’ve listed the ingredients down below with a separate video tutorial but if you want to see the original post for that, CLICK HERE.

These Grilled Lamb Chops are great with the Pesto alone but if you’d like to have something to dip them in, you might want to look into my Tzatziki Sauce Recipe. It has a nice Greek Yogurt base that you’re going to love.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Pesto Ingredients:

1 Rack of Lamb
2 tbsp of Pesto
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Pesto Recipe
3 cups Basil Leaves, freshly packed
1/2 cup Almonds
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, ground
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice, (optional)

Be sure to watch both the Pesto and Grilled Lamb Chops video tutorials and I’ll show you just how easy these recipes are to make.

Pesto with Almonds

Gotta love Pesto with Almonds. I believe it’s traditionally made with Pine Nuts but even Walnuts are often substituted. So it doesn’t really matter what you use, just pick your favorite and follow this recipe to a T because it is fantastic. Just know that I cut this recipe in half when I filmed it in the video.

Also, if you’re looking for something meaty to compliment this recipe, be sure to check out my Italian Sausage and my Italian Breaded Pork Chops!

Pesto with Almonds Ingredients:

3 cups Basil Leaves, freshly packed
1/2 cup Almonds
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, ground
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice, (optional)