If you were thinking about going out to dinner this weekend, cancel your plans and make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Sausage Pasta instead! It’s that good!
Due to the unseasonably warm weather in Pittsburgh this week (no complaints!), I was in the mood for easy dinner recipes that didn’t require use of our oven. We resist turning on the A/C each year until absolutely necessary, so that means windows open, fans on, and oven off. My Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Sausage Pasta came in handy this week, since it’s oven-free and so easy to throw together! You won’t be in the kitchen for long!
I’m sure you noticed my “pasta” looked a little on the green side. And that’s because I used zucchini noodles (a.k.a. zoodles). Zoodles, like spaghetti squash, are a great pasta substitute if you can’t eat grains. The advantage of using zoodles is they only take minutes to cook! If you’re not into zucchini, you could still use this pesto and sausage sauce on regular pasta, gluten-free pasta, spaghetti squash, over a sweet potato, or even on pizza dough. It’s so versatile and delicious!
To make this pesto, I used a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil that I found at (surprise) Trader Joe’s. It already has some seasoning in the oil, so I reserved some of the oil for the pesto and drained the rest out. I combined the tomatoes with fresh basil, parsley, and pine nuts and gave them a spin in the food processor, along with the reserved oil.
Once the herbs and tomatoes had broken down, I added spices, lemon juice, and a can of drained diced tomatoes. The result is a creamy, tomato-based pesto that is absolutely yummy. And it’s totally dairy-free!
Time to make some zoodles! One thing to note when making zoodles is that you usually need to use more zucchini than you think because they cook down so much! I estimate at least one zucchini per person and then I usually add one for good measure. So with this recipe, I recommend using 4-5 medium-sized zucchinis for about 4 servings.
I used a veggie spiralizer for my zoodles, which has become a key kitchen gadget for me after going grain-free. You can spiralize carrots, sweet potato, squash, and MORE with relative ease. And, it will only set you back about $30. I can’t tell you how helpful it’s been to have one – especially for recipes like this! I used the spaghetti-sized blade (rather than the larger linguine size). I just cut the ends off the zucchini, stick it in the spiralizer and crank away! If you don’t have a spiralizer, you could just thinly slice or chop your zucchini. Same taste, it just won’t be quite as pasta-like.
Once my zoodles were nice and spiralized, I threw them in a large pot and set it aside while I browned onion, garlic, and sweet Italian sausage in a large skillet. After the sausage cooked, I added the pesto sauce and lowered the heat to let the sauce warm up while I sauteed the zoodles.
The zoodles cook pretty quickly, so I usually save this step for the end. I put them on medium/high heat and stir them while they saute. You can also put a lid on the pot to steam the zoodles, but they can more easily overcook this way. So, I usually leave the lid off and stir them until they are al dente and still have some texture. It usually takes 5-7 minutes, depending on the quantity of zoodles you’re cooking. Once the zoodles finish cooking, I throw them in a colander like I would regular pasta, to drain any excess liquid.
And that’s it! You’re ready to serve! I plated my zoodles, piled the sun-dried tomato and sausage pesto on top, and garnished it with some extra basil and parsley.
There you have it- a colorful, healthy, Paleo dinner! Sit back, savor each bite, and breathe easy, knowing the weekend is on its way!
- 4-5 medium-sized zucchini (or sub pasta of choice)
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1-8.5 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- ¼ cup reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup of fresh parsley
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1-15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh basil and parsley
- Spiralize your zucchini and set aside in a large pot.
- In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is browned and cooked through.
- Drain your sun-dried tomatoes, reserving ¼ cup of oil.
- In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, pine nuts, and ¼ cup reserved oil. Process until the herbs, tomatoes, and nuts have broken up well. Add the remaining ingredients and process until thick and somewhat creamy.
- Add pesto sauce to the skillet with the sausage and stir occasionally, until heated.
- Cook zucchini noodles on medium heat and stir occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess water.
- Plate zucchini noodles and top with pesto sausage sauce and extra fresh herbs.
I made this using walnuts in the pesto and it was delicious!
Yay, glad it worked well with other nuts! Thanks for sharing!
This was so good! Didn’t have point nuts, used almonds. Only had bagged dried tomatoes and not quite enough basil. But good enough and oh, so tasty! Plus, I finished it so fast, I had time to comment before the Mr. comes home.
*Pine nuts. Sheesh.
Haha, that’s so good to hear! Almonds are a great substitute for pine nuts! And glad it worked well even without the jarred tomatoes! It’s my new favorite zoodles recipe, for sure!
this pasta looks so good! perfect and light for the summer. i’m yet to try zucchini noodles and definitely must do so!
Thank you so much, Thalia! Yes, definitely give the zucchini noodles a try! They are really great with this sauce! Enjoy!