Pesto Rotini with Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Peas

All you Barefoot Bloggers out there inspired me to do a pesto. I actually had some frozen in my freezer from some I made a month or so ago. I made a little more quickly tonight to add to the quantity and then just threw in ingredients as I felt fit. It really turned out great and besides me heating up our already hot kitchen, it made for a great Saturday night meal. Paired with some pinot grigio, and I'm in heaven! This recipe will easily serve 4 people, we now have a lot of leftover.

Pesto:
About 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, washed (I put them in a bowl of water to shake off all the dirt)
1-2 TBSP of olive oil
1/4 cup parm cheese (fresh of course, not in the green can)
1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium if possible
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 fat free half and half (for creaminess)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients into a food processor until well blended. You don't really want any chunks!
















Sausage and veggies:

3/4 lb whole wheat/whole grain rotini (I use Barilla), cooked according to the box directions, omitting salt and fat
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
3/4 lb. turkey sausage, casings removed
3/4 cup baby bella mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a heated pan, coated with the olive oil, cook the shallot and garlic about 5 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, being sure not to burn the garlic. Add in the turkey sausage and as you cook it break it up into bite-sized pieces. Once the sausage is no longer pink, add in the mushrooms and cook about 3 minutes. Add in the sundried tomatoes, cook another 2 minutes. Add in the pesto and a ladle of the pasta water. stir well and cook another 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and add into the pesto/sausage mix. Combine well and serve. Top with a tablespoon or so of parm cheese. ENJOY!