Sausage Pesto Pasta with Ricotta is creamy, decadent and packed with flavor. This crowd-pleasing pasta comes together in 40 minutes.
Recipe Inspo
Many moons ago, I made Laura Vitale’s Pasta With Sausage in a Creamy Pesto Sauce and it popped into my head while looking at some lonely basil in my fridge. I decided to make my own spin on this dish, starting with a tweaked version of my pesto from my Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes. I swapped walnuts for pine nuts and opted for ricotta cheese in place of heavy cream. Since the pesto and sausage are already so rich, I prefer ricotta over heavy cream for a lower-fat, higher-protein alternative. The result is a creamy, hearty pasta that you can cozy up to any day of the week.
Ingredient Notes
Pasta - The texture of fresh or frozen pasta is fantastic with this sauce. Orecchiette and cavatelli are my top picks—their shape is perfect for catching bits of sausage and creamy pesto. Dried pasta works well too. Try dried orecchiette, mezzi rigatoni or tagliatelle.
Sausage - I prefer fresh Italian pork sausage for its rich flavor, but Italian turkey or chicken sausage are great lighter alternatives. Stick with mild or sweet sausage here so it doesn't overpower the pesto.
Cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano and good-quality full-fat cow's milk ricotta are my top picks. For a tangier, slightly sharper flavor, try Pecorino Romano and sheep's milk ricotta instead.
Lemon zest - Optional, but definitely impactful. Its bright, citrusy flavor is a nice complement to the rich, creamy sauce.
How to Make Sausage Pesto Pasta with Ricotta
- Gather all ingredients.
2. Add the pesto ingredients to a food processor or blender.
3. Blend the pesto until smooth.
4. Remove the sausage from its casing and cook in a skillet until well browned.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sausage and toss to combine. Remove from the heat, then add the pesto and ricotta.
6. Toss everything together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Sausage Pesto Pasta with Ricotta
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Description
Sausage Pesto Pasta with Ricotta combines Italian sausage, homemade walnut pesto and creamy ricotta for a rich and flavorful pasta dinner that comes together in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 9 oz fresh or frozen orecchiette pasta (or 8 oz dry pasta)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz Italian pork sausage, removed from the casing
- ½ cup ricotta cheese, plus more for dolloping
- Lemon zest, for topping (optional)
For the pesto:
- 1.25 oz fresh basil, leaves removed from the stem (~2 ½ cups loosely packed leaves)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts, see step 1
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 oz chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano (~¼ cup grated parmesan), plus more for topping
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Toast the walnuts. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread walnuts out on a small sheet tray. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding to pesto.
2. Get prepped. While walnuts toast, gather all ingredients. Remove sausage from its casing. Separate basil leaves from the stems. Fill a large pot with water for cooking the pasta and bring to a boil. Place a large skillet on the stovetop for cooking the sausage. Take out a food processor or blender to prepare the pesto.
3. Brown the sausage. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add sausage to pan in small chunks. Cook undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes, until well-browned on bottom. Turn and break into smaller pieces. Cook 2-3 more minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove pan from heat, leaving sausage in pan.
4. Make the pesto. While the sausage cooks, add basil, 4 tablespoons olive oil, walnuts, garlic and parmesan into a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
5. Cook pasta. Season boiling pasta water generously with salt (about 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt per 4-6 quarts of water). Cook pasta 1-2 minutes short of al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
6. Finish the dish. Warm pan with sausage over medium-high heat until sausage comes back to a sizzle. Add in cooked pasta and toss to combine. Turn off heat, and stir in pesto and ricotta cheese. Add about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water, or more as needed, to loosen the sauce. Taste for seasoning. To serve, spoon the pasta into serving bowls and top with Parmesan and lemon zest, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Pasta: Fresh or frozen orecchiette or cavatelli work especially well, but dried orecchiette, mezzi rigatoni or tagliatelle can also be used.
Sausage: Italian turkey or chicken sausage can be substituted for pork sausage.
Cheese: Pecorino Romano can be substituted for Parmigiano Reggiano. Sheep’s milk ricotta can also be used for a tangier flavor.
Walnuts: Be sure to cool the toasted walnuts completely before making the pesto.
Pasta water: Start with about ¼ cup reserved pasta water and add more as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of pasta
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 470mg
- Fat: 42g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 31g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
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