June 22, 2010 | Pasta & Pizza
A few days ago I harvested my overgrown arugula crop and made a different type of pesto out of it using a combo that included green onions. Well, some of that pesto is safely tucked away in the freezer for later use, but some of it went straight into this easy pasta dish. I love throwing together whatever I have on hand to make a weeknight pasta dish – it’s the one thing my husband will always eat.
In this case that included some gnocchi shaped pasta shells I found in the back of the pantry, some spicy hot Italian sausage from one of my farmer friends, the arugula pesto, some corn that I cut from the cob, and just a touch of half and half to bring it all together. It was packed with flavor, accented by the sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese on top. But it’s also spicy thanks to the combo of the raw garlic and onions in the pesto and the hot sausage. You could tone that down a bit by using mild Italian sausage, but what fun is that?!
Pasta with Arugula Pesto and Spicy Sausage
Serves 48 ounces pasta shells
1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage (loose, not in casings)
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1/4 to 1/3 cup Arugula Pesto
1/4 cup half and half
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to tasteCook the pasta according to directions until just al dente; drain and reserve a bit of the cooking liquid. While pasta is cooking, brown sausage in a skillet and drain off any excess fat. Toss cooked pasta together with cooked sausage, corn kernels, pesto and half and half. Thin sauce with a bit of pasta water if needed, then serve with cheese sprinkled on top.
Sometimes those dishes straight from our pantry can really get the creative juices going to come up with a great pasta dish like this one. Yum,
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