Calabrian pesto pasta is a creamy, spicy pasta that can be ready in only 20 minutes. It's easy to make and includes sausage and tomatoes for a complete meal.
I have made this Calabrian pesto pasta more times than I can count. 25? 35? The pasta is creamy from the cream (obviously), but spicy from the Calabrian pesto (also called Pesto alla Calabrese).
It's so quick and easy to make, I make it for lunch all the time for myself. So I wrote this recipe for a single serving. If my husband wants some too, I simply double the recipe.
It is such a go-to recipe of mine. I've posted photos of it on Instagram so many times. Every time, I get messages from people wanting the recipe, so I finally wrote it down to share!
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Sausage link - I typically use pork sausage, buy chicken sausage would be delicious too
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Calabrian pesto - this is the red pesto you can get in grocery stores. It's a little spicy, so it's got a nice kick! Make sure to get an actual Calabrian pesto and not a sundried tomato pesto.
- Heavy cream - you can swap this out for half and half if you prefer
- Dried oregano - I love dried oregano, but you can always use Italian seasoning or dried basil
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to make calabrian pesto pasta
Start boiling water for your pasta. While water boils, cut sausage into small pieces and chop tomatoes in half.
Once water is boiling start cooking pasta.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook sausage. When sausage starts browning, add the tomatoes.
Cook until sausage is browned and tomatoes have softened.
Reduce heat to low. Add cooked pasta, cream, calabrian pesto, and dried oregano. Stir together. Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy! You can add fresh herbs like basil if you like!
Recipe tips
- You can easily swap out the sausage for chicken or shrimp if you prefer, I've done both! And if you're making a bigger batch for a family, I think a combo of sausage and chicken is so tasty!
- If you want your pasta spicier, add extra Calabrian pesto.
- You can swap out the tomatoes for zucchini or another veggie if you prefer! Or add more veggies. The combination of tomatoes and zucchini is a favorite of mine in the summer.
- Stoves can cook differently and even different burners can heat differently. Pay attention to the cooking of sausage and tomatoes and reduce or increase stove heat as needed.
More pasta recipes
- Peri peri pasta
- Pesto cavatappi pasta
- Burst cherry tomato pasta
- Chicken and broccoli pasta
- Creamy harissa pasta
Calabrian Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces dry pasta (¾ cup)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 link sausage
- 10 cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Calabrian pesto
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- fresh herbs optional
Instructions
- Start boiling water for your pasta. While water boils, cut sausage into small pieces and chop tomatoes in half. Once pasta water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until almost browned, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until softened.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the cooked pasta, cream, calabrian pesto, and dried oregano. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
- You can easily swap out the sausage for chicken or shrimp if you prefer, I've done both! And if you're making a bigger batch for a family, I think a combo of sausage and chicken is so tasty!
- If you want your pasta spicier, add extra Calabrian pesto.
- You can swap out the tomatoes for zucchini or another veggie if you prefer! Or add more veggies. The combination of tomatoes and zucchini is a favorite of mine in the summer.
- Stoves can cook differently and even different burners can heat differently. Pay attention to the cooking of sausage and tomatoes and reduce or increase stove heat as needed.
- This recipe is easy to double or quadruple, depending on how many people you are serving.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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