Pesto Pasta

So I whipped this up the other night in an effort to use up some veggies in my fridge before they took a turn for the worse.  I'm glad I did since besides having a delicious dinner with lots of leftovers, I was able to avoid throwing food that I had not had a chance to use; one of my pet peeves that I'm sure many can sympathize with.

 I love having pesto on hand since it is such a versatile ingredient.  Besides pasta, you can rub it on your chicken or fish before you grill it, mix it with some mayo to spruce up a sandwich, or even combine it with hummus.  There are so many possibilities!   You can make your own if you have the time/desire (and the fresh basil...) but I just buy it pre made at the grocery store.  It isn't super expensive, its something that can pull double or triple duty, plus its good for you!.

Anyway, here's the recipe for my pesto pasta:

1 Box Penne Pasta (you could use any type of short & shaped pasta)
1 Large Zucchini
1 Medium Summer Squash
2 Large Tomatoes, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 pre-cooked chicken sausages (you can find an array of varieties and flavors at your local grocery store)
4-5 tablespoons of pesto (start with 4, taste, and add more if desired)
1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic (or a little more if you dare)
1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil for Sauteing

For the pasta: fill a large pot of salted water to boil.  Once boiled, add pasta, bring back to a boil, and cook till al dente (tender, yet also firm done-ness of the pasta) as directed on the package.

For the zucchini and squash: heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Slice the zucchini and summer squash into approximately quarter inch rounds, and then slice the rounds into quarters  Add the zucchini and squash to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and saute with the garlic until they are slightly softened (about 5 to 8 minutes).

For the chicken sausages: Grill on all sides untill brown (about 4-5 minutes per side.  You can use a traditional grill, a grill pan, or my weapon of choice, a George Forman grill (since the George Foreman cooks from both sides, you would only need to grill the sausages for 8-10 minutes). Let sausages rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then slice into bite-sized rounds.

To put this dish together add the pasta, sauteed zucchini and squash, tomatoes, sausage, and pesto to a large bowl.  Stir until all elements are fully combined and pesto equally distributed throughout.  I like to serve this warm but it is also good cold out of the fridge!

The cool thing about this recipe is that the ingredients can be swapped out for whatever you may have on hand.  You could use sauteed eggplant or mushrooms in place/in combination with the zucchini and summer squash or use diced red bell pepper instead of tomatoes.  Don't have pre-cooked chicken sausage? Grilled chicken, or diced firm tofu could be substituted in a pinch.

So whether you chose to follow this recipe or create your own spin-off, I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your comments!