Pesto Pasta W/ Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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So, I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s now carries about 43 varieties of chicken sausage. Ok, maybe just 10. But still — SO MUCH CHICKEN SAUSAGE!!!

Today felt like a good day to be a part of the fad, so I brought home some of their spicy Italian (I know – the least creative) variety and a batch of adorable little brussels sprouts to make some pasta. Between the two of those ingredients cooking, the house already smelled amazing. But then add in some garlic and fresh pesto, and then top the warm pasta with Parmesan cheese….and holy cow. This impromptu little recipe is definitely going down in the books. Easy, and très-delish!!

I’m already looking forward to the leftovers. :)

How To Cut Brussels Sprouts | 1-Minute Video

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 18 reviews

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Description

This pesto pasta with chicken sausage and roasted brussels sprouts is a hearty and delicious meal, made healthier with (lighter) chicken sausage and lots of brussels sprouts.

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb fresh brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and any yellowed/browned outer leaves removed, then sliced in half
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1 lb (16 oz.) orecchiette (or any pasta)
4 chicken sausage links (I used spicy Italian), sliced into 1/4″ thick coins
5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup pesto
Parmesan cheese, for serving

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together brussels sprouts, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-combined.
Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spread the brussels sprouts on it evenly. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring once partway through, or until they are crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside. (My batch of tiny sprouts only took about 12 minutes to cook.) Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until nearly-browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.
Cook the pasta in generously-salted boiling water until al dente according to the package directions. (I begin heating my water while preparing the brussel sprouts, and added the pasta to the boiling water just after beginning to cook the sausage.) Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water (reserving 1/4 cup pasta water), and then toss together the pasta, pesto, cooked sausage and garlic, and brussels sprouts. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed for extra moisture.
Serve warm, and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

This would be even better sprinkled with some toasted pine nuts!

posted on December 9, 2011 by Ali

Main Dishes, Pastas

112 Comments »

112 comments on “Pesto Pasta With Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts”

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Kris — May 4, 2013 @ 1:12 am Reply

I love this dish and make it multiple times every month. I add sun dried tomatoes and it kicks it up a bit!
steph — May 13, 2013 @ 8:30 pm Reply

This was wonderful… Easy, flavorful, and a crowd pleaser. We used cheese tortellini, and it was a very hearty meal. Thanks so much for sharing!
- Shelley — August 3, 2021 @ 11:21 am
  
  This was good and so flipping easy! Perfect recipe for a lazy-I-don’t-really-wanna-cook weeknight dinner. It’d be perfect as-is but I deglazed the pan with some white wine and threw some sun-dried tomatoes in (because I had the stuff and why not). Will add this to my normal rotation.
Sarah — May 20, 2013 @ 8:30 pm Reply

OMG this was so good! My husband and his friend both LOVED it. It was also easy to prep, you could even cook the sausage ahead of time and just reheat it real quick in the pan. Will be making this again real soon!!!
Monique — June 3, 2013 @ 9:00 pm Reply

I just made this for dinner tonight for a second time. This recipe is amazing! The combination of ingredients seems odd at first but it is SO good. I followed the suggestion in one of the previous comments and added sundried tomatoes both times I’ve made it. They add a really nice flavor. Thanks so much – this is definitely in my regular dinner rotation!
Crissy — June 17, 2013 @ 3:06 pm Reply

This looks delicious! I will never understand why people are so afraid of brussels sprouts. They are one of my favorite veggies! I can’t wait to make this, I may add lemon zest or sundried tomatoes or both! Thanks for the great recipe!
Kathy — September 30, 2013 @ 10:48 pm Reply
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The first time we tried this recipe we had an unexpected but pleasant guest, my daughter’s neighborhood friend, who happens to be a very picky eater. If its any testament to this recipe she devoured her first plate and asked for seconds, a first for her at our house. I used tortellini and added a few sun-dried tomatoes, as suggested in previous comments. It officially has made it into regular rotation of go-to meals. Thanks!!
Helen — December 9, 2013 @ 7:12 pm Reply

This is Delicious! You will want to deglaze all the specialness in the bottom of the pan. I can’t wait to invite family and friends to enjoy this simple but tasty dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Tina Schantz — December 10, 2013 @ 5:53 pm Reply

this recipe was delicious and simple. I don’t eat meat so I substituted a vegan soy sausage, turned out great. thanks for sharing.
Cherokee — December 12, 2013 @ 1:01 pm Reply

Can you help me with the pesto? Where do you get that?
Meagan — January 4, 2014 @ 9:32 pm Reply

This was sooo good. Just made it for dinner and it was a huge success everyone loved it! Thank you.
Christine (CookTheStory) — January 9, 2014 @ 8:28 pm Reply

I usually find that the easiest of recipes are the tastiest. I like the orecchiette in it.
Emily — February 3, 2014 @ 8:28 pm Reply

This is my husband’s favorite thing I’ve made from gimmesomeoven! I followed the recipe as is – easy, tasty and definitely on the healthy(ish) side.
Steph — February 20, 2014 @ 9:35 pm Reply

This was delicious! I’m a vegetarian, so I substituted the sausage with Field Roast vegetarian sausage. I would agree that it could have used half the amount of pasta. I’ll definitely make this again!
Ayla — April 25, 2014 @ 10:07 pm Reply

This looks so amazing – all my favorite things in one dish! I’m making it tomorrow, I’m going to shred the sprouts and cook them up with some bacon and add those pine nuts! :)
Ryan — April 26, 2014 @ 11:27 am Reply

Hi, I found your recipe on Pinterest and made it last night and it was so delicious!!! I subbed in beer bratwurst, added balsamic vinegar to the brussel sprouts, and added in some capers to the final product and it was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, totally a keeper!
Megan — May 7, 2014 @ 5:01 pm Reply

This dinner was awesome! Flavorful and delicious!!
Teanna — May 8, 2014 @ 8:17 pm Reply

This recipe is super tasty! I added onion and mushrooms to the brussels and sun dried tomatoes and a wee bit of chardonnay to the turkey sausage and it was amazing! Love the previous post about capers and balsamic vinegar. I will definitely try that next time! Thanks for the recipe and the tips too!
HannahW — July 15, 2014 @ 8:10 am Reply

How many servings is this?
- Ali — July 18, 2014 @ 9:53 am
  
  4-6 servings.
Allen — September 7, 2014 @ 9:05 am Reply

Hey Ali,
This recipe looks delicious! I have recently started a blog site of my own (www.anothersahdday.com) and have it as my featured recipe of the week. I look forward to making this recipe this week.
Allen
Anne-Marie — November 17, 2014 @ 6:32 am Reply

Just came across of this recipe through Pinetrest :) It looks amazing and probably tastes amazing and I want to try it asap but I have a little concern though… when you bake the brussels sprouts, do they fragrance your home with this “delightful” fart smell ?
Thanks!
- Ali — November 17, 2014 @ 8:21 am
  
  Ha, I haven’t heard that before. They smell like brussels sprouts to me. But mostly you’ll smell the chicken sausage cooking. If you like the ingredients, I vote you give it a try!
Julie — January 25, 2015 @ 4:46 pm Reply

I made this tonight and used zucchini noodles instead of pasta, it was amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I will definately be making this one again!
Christine — March 3, 2015 @ 2:09 am Reply

Want to try this. currently living in Japan, no fresh brussels here. Do think frozen would work if I thawed them first of coarse. Thx
- Ali — March 5, 2015 @ 11:19 am
  See Also
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  Hey Christine! Wow, I hope you’re enjoying Japan! I think you could totally do this with frozen and thawed brussels, good luck!
sara — March 9, 2015 @ 9:49 pm Reply

I made this with spicy sausage and zucchini noodles instead of regular noodles and it was so delicious! Loved the recipe!
Stephanie — June 1, 2015 @ 3:59 pm Reply

I LOVE this recipe. I make it at-least once a month. I’m single and can make about 5 meals off of it. It also freezes really well! I’ve tried different pastas, sausage and pre-made pesto– so its always a little different. I’ve also made it as a meal to take to other people (after a baby, surgery, etc) and its great since it can be frozen or reheated and taste just as good as when its first made!
- Ali — June 2, 2015 @ 8:10 am
  
  Thank you, Stephanie, that’s so great! : D
Sarah — October 5, 2015 @ 12:25 pm Reply

Do you have the nutritional information for this dish?
- Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 6, 2015 @ 8:44 am
  
  Hi Sarah! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Sheri — October 5, 2015 @ 8:35 pm Reply

Perfect combination. Delicious! I made as is and my two boys (9 and 11) loved it and husband too. Next time I will try the cheese tortellini, roasted pine nuts, and some sun dried tomatoes. Thank you!!
- Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 6, 2015 @ 8:52 am
  
  Thanks Sheri, we’re so happy you and your family loved this! :)
Dwana — October 13, 2015 @ 5:59 pm Reply

Oh my!!! I made this tonight with the tortellini and the pine nuts and I used a whole container of Parmesan cheese. Lol. This was so delicious!!! My hubby said it tasted like restaurant quality food. Lots of leftovers too. May even be good cold. Thanks for sharing.
- Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — October 14, 2015 @ 12:06 pm
  
  Hey Dwana, we’re so happy you and your hubby loved this! Thanks for sharing with us! :)
Brooke — May 18, 2016 @ 12:39 pm Reply

Love this! I have made it about 5x now, exactly as the recipe calls. My husband asks for it every other week. Even my 18 month old eats it. Thank you for sharing.
- Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — May 19, 2016 @ 8:34 am
  
  Thanks Brooke —we’re so glad to hear that!! :D
Brooke — July 13, 2016 @ 3:51 pm Reply

Thank you for sharing. This has become a staple recipe in our house. We absolutely love it, and it’s so easy.
Gloria — January 16, 2017 @ 2:23 pm Reply

love love this!! I used spicy sausage.I had added a little lemon sauce flavor.You do not have to it is great ether way.
- Ali — March 27, 2017 @ 4:51 pm
  
  Awesome, sounds delicious!
Janet Black — June 18, 2017 @ 10:23 pm Reply

I make this all of the time. It’s a great easy meal to take to work.
- Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — June 19, 2017 @ 9:19 am
  
  Thanks for sharing, Janet, we’re so happy you’re a fan! :)
Allison Sillence — November 27, 2017 @ 5:09 pm Reply

I️ used Trader Joe’s pesto and it was delicious!
Onderria — January 29, 2018 @ 10:55 pm Reply

I couldn’t find my meal box subscription recipe for something similar, and came across this instead. It was perfect! We had frozen pesto to use up, and the only thing I changed was to add chopped onion in while I sauteed the sausage. Thanks!
Melanie — May 17, 2018 @ 5:57 pm Reply

Great recipe, love Brussels sprouts, one of my go to meals. I always have the ingredients on hand.
Sarah Tahami — June 14, 2018 @ 11:18 am Reply

I realize this is a very old post but I came across this recipe via Google and I’m going to try it out tonight! I just bought the spicy Italian chicken sausage at Trader Joe’s! Going to add brussel sprouts, their vegan pesto and red lentil pasta! Yum! Thanks for sharing
Alisha M Peterson — September 24, 2018 @ 4:59 pm Reply

Can I just say this is a simple masterpiece!!! I made it with shredded brussel sprouts and roasted the garlic with it, also i couldnt find chicken sausage so i used italian and used the pesto on the side.
And added fresh green onion at the end.
My family loved it will be making again thank you!
Catherine — February 11, 2019 @ 3:36 pm Reply

I love this recipe and it is part of our meal rotation. So good and easy to make. I used Roasted Garlic sausages and eliminated the sliced garlic and decreased the salt on the Brussels sprouts. The roasted Brussels sprouts are wonderful. Leftovers ( if any) are great!
Allison — May 30, 2019 @ 7:50 pm Reply

Love this recipe! I use Trader Joe’s pesto (a whole jar) and it’s great. I also use Trader Joe’s garlic chicken sausage, add extra garlic and deglaze the sausage pan with white wine. Great, easy weeknight recipe!
Teri — November 30, 2019 @ 7:03 pm Reply

Loved it! I used apple chicken sausage.
Megan — January 12, 2020 @ 5:38 pm Reply

Super easy to make! I made this for my husband, toddler and myself, it was a hit. My mother had it for left overs and really enjoyed it as well! Unfortunately my grocery store doesn’t carry orecchiette pasta so I used bow tie pasta and it’s great. I’ve made it 3 times so far and just as good each time. Thanks for the recipe!
Jason — March 7, 2020 @ 9:11 pm Reply

I make this recipe with broccoli instead of brussel sprouts! Wife loves it.
Jen — June 28, 2020 @ 6:00 pm Reply

Delicious!
Libby — December 7, 2020 @ 5:14 pm Reply

SO GOOD. Enough said. I add this to my weekly dinner rotation all the time. We use zoodles instead of pasta when we’re trying to go easy on the carbs! ?
Rebekah — January 12, 2021 @ 9:14 am Reply

This was SO good! I added a few tablespoons of cream to the sauce because I had some heavy cream I wanted to use up. A little less healthy, but a whole lot delicious! Roasting the brussels sprouts adds layers of flavor and texture to the dish. Delightful!
Veronica — August 22, 2021 @ 10:28 am Reply

Fast and easy and delicious leftovers!
Eileen — January 27, 2022 @ 9:36 am Reply

Absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy! Already added it to my recipe rotation.
Danielle — February 22, 2022 @ 7:49 pm Reply

This recipe is devine! I just used Trader Joe’s brown rice fusilli pasta, kale cashew pesto, and shredded brussel sprouts with chicken sausage. I also added sundried tomatoes for fun.. such a good, delicious and EASY recipe!!
Lametria — November 1, 2022 @ 4:50 pm Reply

Hey I just made this today and because I cooked of course I had to taste it and omg it’s delicious. My husband was sold at the words pesto and sausage. I did follow the recipe as is but next time I’ll probably add sliced mushrooms. Thank you.