All The Greens Pasta
When I say all the greens, I mean it.
This is the kind of pasta dish that's really more of a salad. It's LOADED with all the green goodness I love most: arugula, spinach, green beans, sugar snap peas and zucchini. There's also cauliflower, which might not be green (although I think you can buy some that is...?), but it's also one of my favorites.
The veggies are all roasted, too. So yummy. I think it makes all the difference - really brings some awesome flavor to this meal.
Side note: this dish would be great with any assortment of vegetables. Consider it a "fridge clean out" kind of meal. Use what I've suggested, use what you have OR use a combination of your favorites! The possibilities are endless! I also think this would be great with chicken breast, too.
Enjoy!
All the Greens Pasta
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
1lb ground sweet pork sausage
2 cups dry short cut pasta
1-1/2 cups - 2 cups fresh basil pesto
5-6 handfuls arugula
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach
10oz cauliflower florets, cut down into smaller pieces (roughly 1 small bag)
6oz green beans, ends snipped and cut in half (roughly 1/2 of a 12oz bag)
4oz sugar snap peas, ends snipped and cut in half (roughly 1/2 of an 8oz bag)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 calabrian chilies, with seeds and minced
3/4tsp red chili flake, divided
1 Tbsp oregano + thyme, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Ramano + more for topping
olive oil
salt + pepper
pine nuts, garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, add cauliflower florets, greens beans, snap peas and zucchini. Toss with 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil, oregano, thyme, 1/2tsp red chili flake and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Make sure all vegetables are properly coated.
Place vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast in oven for 10 minutes.
After the ten minutes, toss the veggies on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.
If after 20 minutes your veggies don't have a ton of color on them, just turn the broiler on high and cook for an addition 3-4 minutes!
While vegetables are cooking, prepare the sausage and cook the pasta per the instructions on the packaging.
For the sausage: heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add garlic. Cook garlic until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add ground sausage, the minced calabrian chilies and 1/4 tsp of red pepper flake. Cook until sausage is cooked through. In the final 2-3 minutes of cooking the sausage, add the spinach and stir to combine. Cook until spinach is wilted down. Remove from heat.
In a large serving bowl, add arugula, cooked pasta, roasted veggies and sausage/spinach mixture. Toss with fresh basil pesto and the two cheeses. I started with 1 cup of pesto, mixed everything together, and then slowly added more to my liking. You don't have to use all 2 cups! Use what you want!
Top pine nuts, a sprinkle of cheese and serve!