Pesto Broccoli Pasta Bake

Temp-tations recipe: Pesto Broccoli Pasta Bake

PASTA

INGREDIENTS

 For the pesto

  • 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt

For the pasta casserole

  • 8 ounces whole wheat penne, cooked
  • 6 ounces chicken sausage, broken up or chopped into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 ½ cups chopped, cooked broccoli
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine basil, garlic, and pine nuts and pulse to chop fine. Add the oil in a stream, pulsing to combine.  Stir in the cheese, lemon juice, and salt. Set aside.  
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage. If using cooked sausage, heat until just browned, and if using raw chicken sausage, cook until no longer pink. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute more.
  4. In a large temp-tations® mixing bowl, combine the pasta, pesto, and chicken sausage mixture. Transfer the pasta mixture to a 2-quart temp-tations® baker. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top, and cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes, uncover, and bake 5 minutes more.