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Sausage spaghetti with spinach pesto

Name: Sausage spaghetti with spinach pesto
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 4 frozen free-range pork sausages, defrosted; 50ml olive oil; 400g dried spaghetti; For the pesto; 100g frozen spinach, defrosted, excess water squeezed out; 40g parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra to serve; 20g walnut halves, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan; ½ garlic clove, crushed or grated; 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained; 25g bunch fresh basil

Easy
April 2018

Easy
April 2018

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min

Keep midweek meals quick, easy and budget-friendly with this sausage spaghetti dish. We’ve added spinach to the pesto to pack in more green goodness too.

Or go for this veggie alternative with creamy mushrooms and lemon.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 649kcals
Fat: 27.8g (7.8g saturated)
Protein: 24.7g
Carbohydrates: 74.2g (3.3g sugars)
Fibre: 6.1g
Salt: 1.2g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 649kcals
Fat: 27.8g (7.8g saturated)
Protein: 24.7g
Carbohydrates: 74.2g (3.3g sugars)
Fibre: 6.1g
Salt: 1.2g

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Ingredients

4 frozen free-range pork sausages, defrosted
50ml olive oil
400g dried spaghetti

For the pesto

100g frozen spinach, defrosted, excess water squeezed out
40g parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
20g walnut halves, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
½ garlic clove, crushed or grated
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
25g bunch fresh basil

Method

Remove the skins from the sausages and fry the sausagemeat in a pan with about 1 tbsp oil for 10 minutes, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until al dente (with bite). Drain, reserving a little cooking water, then return the cooked spaghetti to the warm pan.
Meanwhile, put the defrosted spinach in a blender with the remaining oil and add the rest of the pesto ingredients, reserving a few basil leaves to serve. Season well with salt and pepper and whizz to a paste, adding a little reserved pasta water to loosen if necessary. Toss the pesto through the spaghetti and top with the sausage, remaining basil and extra parmesan.