Frugal Foodie: Creamy pesto pasta with sausage

When it comes to making dinner, more often than not I reach for the box of penne pasta sitting front and center in my pantry. Though marinara is a classic, here is a recipe for creamy pesto pasta with sausage that will bring new flavor to a weekly staple. 

Ingredients (for two servings):

- 16 oz of penne pasta 

- ½ pound of ground sausage 

- 1 ⅕ oz of pesto sauce 

- 1 cup of milk 

- ¼ cup of olive oil

Directions: 

Step 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Pesto sauce is often already pretty salty, so you’re only going to want to salt your water a little bit. Cook the pasta at a boil for about 11 minutes or until the penne is tender but firm to bite. 

Step 2: Using a mug or cup, save some of the starchy pasta water for later, then drain your pasta.

Step 3: Heat a large skillet on the oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add all of your sausage and cook and stir in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add to pasta.

Step 4: Whisk pesto sauce mix, milk, and olive oil together in a small saucepan; bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and keep at a simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. You can add in pasta water if the mixture becomes too thick. Pour over pasta and sausage mixture and toss to coat.

Step 5: Enjoy!