Pesto Pasta with sliced Italian Chicken Sausage makes for a quick and easy meal idea any night of the week!

fusilli pasta with store bought pesto with arugula and chicken sausage in a white pot

Whenever I am bored with dinner, I know pasta will break me out of my cooking rut and if I can add jarred pesto to my pasta, even better. This sausage and pesto pasta is so simple and comes together with just four ingredients and 25 minutes.

I like to add fresh arugula or spinach when I drain the pasta to add some greens and all of a sudden, you have a complete meal – so easy.

what pasta goes with pesto

So technically, you can use any pasta with pesto of course, but you want to try to use a pasta noodle that will allow the pesto sauce to stick to it so each bite is packed with flavor.

I prefer a short pasta for this recipe, but here are the best choices from your pantry.

Short Pasta:

Fusilli: The corkscrew shape catches plenty of sauce and provides texture.
Penne/Ziti: Penne’s ridges and ziti’s smooth texture both hold pesto well.
Rigatoni: The ridged, tube shape is another excellent option for pesto.
Gemelli: A twisty, helix-shaped pasta similar to fusilli.
Cavatappi: The unique, spiral shape with a tube is a great way to hold pesto.
Farfalle: The folded shape of farfalle pasta captures the pesto well

Long Pasta:

Linguine: The flat, ribbon-like shape allows the sauce to cling pretty well.
Fettuccine: Wider than spaghetti, offering more surface area for the sauce to adhere to.
Spaghetti: A classic, but the sauce may slide off if the pasta is too slippery. This would be my last choice but please use what you have.

You can use any brand of pasta you prefer, including gluten-free, whole wheat, or even chickpea or lentil pasta for added protein.

sausage pesto pasta ingredients

With just 4-ingredients, this pesto pasta is so incredibly easy to make. On a busy weeknight, I love a quick chicken sausage and store-bought jarred pesto, but if you want to make a batch of my dairy-free pistachio pesto ahead of time to prep, here is that recipe. Or any pesto recipe you like.

pasta: I used fusilli for this recipe, but use what you like. I’m using gluten free noodles using rice flour, but that’s a personal preference, and up to you.
Italian chicken sausage: I like aidells brand because it’s already cooked and you just need to heat. Most chicken sausages are precooked. You could also use Italian turkey sausage but will need to cook through first.
pesto: store-bought or homemade, you’ll need 8-ounces.
greens: fresh arugula or spinach to add a peppery bite and fiber.

optional ingredients

the four main ingredients above are all you need for this quick and easy pasta & pesto, but if you want to take the flavor up a notch, you can use these as optional add-ins:

Parmesan cheese
fresh lemon juice
spices: black pepper and/or red pepper flakes

drain al dente pasta over greens and stir in pesto sauce

how to make pesto pasta

Boil pasta. make to package directions, al dente.
Cook Italian chicken sausage. While water boils, slice chicken sausage links into coins and sauté in a skillet for 3-5 minutes. Chicken sausage is already basically cooked so this is just to warm it through and get some crisp on them. Remove the chicken sausage from heat.
Add greens. To a strainer, add greens. Once pasta is done, reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water, and drain pasta over the greens. This will help to wilt the greens quickly without overcooking them.
Mix. Add the drained pasta and greens back to the pasta pot and stir in your pesto, cooked chicken sausage, reserved pasta water and if you want to, squeeze lemon juice into the pot.
Garnish. Parmesan cheese, black pepper and red pepper flakes, if using.

What other protein can I use instead of chicken sausage?

I really love this pesto pasta dish with chicken sausage because it’s SO simple and quick to make with elevated flavors in no time, but if you don’t have chicken sausage on hand, there are other protein options you can use.

Make sure to cook any of these proteins beforehand in a skillet before mixing in with the pasta and greens, with pesto:

shrimp
diced chicken breast or thighs
Italian turkey sausage links, sliced
ground Italian sausage crumbles, drain the fat before adding to pasta
pre-cooked frozen meatballs like Simek’s brand

How to store and reheat leftovers

TO STORE: Refrigerate pesto pasta in an airtight storage container for up to 4-days.

TO REHEAT: Rewarm chicken sausage pasta in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or olive oil.

TO FREEZE: Freeze pasta in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove.

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