I have been having a hard time concentrating for the last few days. Tomorrow I am going with my son's fiance to her sonogram appointment, and we are going to find out if she is having a boy or a girl. Tell me I am not excited about that! We have all been speculating, and some people have said that I should jut wait until it is born to find out. Ppfffttttt NOT!! This Grandma wants to be able to get to shoppin' and right now! And none of this green and yellow stuff. I want pink or blue, and lots of it! Although no matter what, boy or girl, there will be tons of Seahawk gear to be bought.

So with my mind being otherwise occupied, and with so many requests for quick and easy meals, I have been really working on dishes that have you are in and out of the kitchen in no time. Pesto is a quick meal's BFF. I make all different kinds. Sun-Dried Tomato, Classic, Green Chile, and even Garlic Scape Pesto. All of them can be used in so many ways, and are so full of flavor.

Luckily I have converted Kevin into a pesto lover. It wasn't easy, but I worked my magic and *POOF* no complaining! Now I am sorry, but that deserves a moment of silence, just to appreciate the magnitude of that accomplishment. 

...........................

Thank you!

Anywho, this worked out as the perfect quick and easy, no brainer, kind of weekday dinner. I actually used gluten free penne (made with quinoa) for it because I found out that I may have celiac disease (it is either that or my reflux has gotten wicked bad), and I was quite pleasantly surprised at the texture. I have heard some horror stories about GF pastas, but this worked out quite well. You just have GOT to keep checking it and drain is as soon as it is done. If you let it go over, well then you have quinoa mush to work with, and that is no beuno! Also, the only downside to the pasta was that it doesn't store well. Once it has been in hte fridge overnight it turned a bit mushy. The flavor was still really good, but if you are a texture person, ya ummm not so much with the leftovers of this one. 

You could really make this with any of the above mentioned pestos, but this sun-dried tomato pesto has a place in my heart and I hope you give it a try!

1 year ago - Split Pea Soup with Ham

2 years ago - Chicken Caprese Pasta

3 years ago - Puffy Chicken Tacos

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

By Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Published 02/05/2015

Ingredients

• Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
• 1 pound penne pasta (I used gluten free quinoa pasta)
• 1 pound Italian sausage (optional)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used a gluten free flour)
• 1 cup chicken stock (can use vegetable)
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions; drain well.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat (I used my new pan). Add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve.
3. Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in heavy cream and the sun-tomato dried pesto. Return the sausage to the skillet and continue to cook until heated through. Stir in pasta. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with torn basil leaves.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 00 mins.