Skillet Italian Sausage and Pasta

We are starting the busiest part of our month. From now until next Sunday we will be in full St. Patrick’s Day mode. Lots of dancing, friends, and laughter for the next week. By next Sunday everyone will be exhausted and looking forward to doing it all over again next year!

I am in the process of creating a new YouTube channel to show you some cooking videos and Irish dance videos so look for it in the coming weeks. I am very excited about this and hope you will like it too. I think it will be a great compliment to my blog.

Verdict:

Well, this dish certainly is not an Irish dish but it was simple and had pretty good flavor. I mixed it all in one skillet but I would recommend using bow ties or other pasta and not a fettuccine like I did as it was hard to stir and keep in the pan.

I served this with a green side salad and green beans.

Skillet Italian Sausage and Pasta

Servings: 4-6
Time: 30-35 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients:

1 – 1 1/2 lbs. bulk Italian sausage
1 (10 oz) jar of sun-dried Tomato Pesto, this is usually found near the regular pesto in the store
12 oz. Farfarelle or Rotini pasta
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup fat-free half and half or 2 cups fat-free half and half
black pepper and salt, to taste
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
chicken stock, if needed to thin sauce

Directions:

In a large skillet or wok cook the Italian sausage over medium heat until well browned and cooked through. Break it into little pieces with the side of the spoon as it is cooking.
Add jar of pesto, diced tomatoes and heavy cream and half and half to the pan and stir well to combine.
Allow the mixture to simmer slightly before adding pasta to the pan. Stir well.
Cover and cook until pasta become al dente, about 8 minutes.
Stir several times while the pasta is cooking so that all the pasta cooks evenly. If sauce is absorbing too quickly add 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken stock and stir.
Once pasta is cooked to your liking add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Remove pasta from heat and stir well. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top and cover until it melts.
Serve hot.