Pecan Pesto Shells With Sausage

By AliceV

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound pasta shells or another short pasta
• 3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 25mins
Adapted from realsimple.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Pulse together the parsley, pecans, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a food processor until finely chopped.

With the machine running, add 5 tablespoons of the oil and process until smooth.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the pesto, sausage, and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to coat (adding more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce). Sprinkle with Parmesan.