30 Minute Mediterranean Chicken Sausage Pasta {GF, DF}

Easy weeknight 30 minute Mediterranean chicken sausage pasta made with pantry staples makes for the perfect family weeknight dinner. Packed with protein, gluten-free and dairy-free recipe. Thank you to al fresco for sponsoring this post. #Cookwithalfresco, #Ad 

Need more easy low fuss low time commitment pantry dinner recipes? I’ve got you covered with this 30 minute chicken sausage pasta made with a handful of ingredients you can easily stock in your pantry. This dish makes for a great family dinner that is packed full of protein and come together in no time. You can even get your family involved in the cooking process.

This chicken sausage pasta is made with fully cooked al freso chicken sausage links, which are made with no artificial ingredients and is minimally processed. You can find this product at your local grocery store and the fact that it’s already fully cooked really cuts down on the total cooking time for this dish.

Why I love this Mediterranean chicken sausage pasta recipe:

• ready in under 30 minutes
• made with pantry ingredients and healthy on hand items
• packed full of protein from the chicken sausage, chickpeas, and chickpea pasta
• minimal ingredients
• tons of flavor from the pesto and sun dried tomatoes
• Nothing to defrost in advance – made with pantry or refrigerated ingredients, so you can easily make this on the spot

Ingredients in my Mediterranean chicken sausage pasta:

• pasta of choice (I love to use a lentil or chickpea based pasta to ensure it is gluten free and packed with even more protein)
• chicken sausage (fully cooked Al Freso chicken sausage cuts down on cooking time)
• sun dried tomatoes
• garlic (the only fresh ingredient required for this recipe but one that keeps well in the fridge for months)
• vegan basil pesto (home made or store bought in the canned section or refrigerated section depending on your personal preference)
• chickpeas (great source of added protein)

Additional optional ingredients:

• frozen or fresh spinach or kale (for a nutritional boost)
• fresh grape tomatoes (for a burst of fresh juicy flavors)
• toasted pine nuts or toasted sliced almonds

How to make this recipe:

Start by preparing pasta according to package directions. In this recipe I used a chickpea spaghetti pasta but feel free to use your type and brand of choice. This recipe will work with any type of pasta so this is just a matter of personal preference.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil and pan fry the sliced chicken sausage. I like to get a good sear on the chicken sausage slices as it adds an extra element of flavor into the recipe. You only need to cook the chicken sausage for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it is browned on both sides.

While the pasta water is coming to a boil and the chicken sausage is browning you can prep the remaining ingredients.

Mince and garlic and chop the sun dried tomatoes, then add to the pan.

Cook for a couple minutes and add the rinsed and drained chickpeas to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a bit of pasta water just in case you want to thin out the sauce later. Add pasta and pesto to the pan and mix.

If you need to thin out the sauce a bit add the reserved pasta water, or to make it creamier add a few splashes of coconut milk or cream. Serve with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a cheesier taste.

And that’s it. This Mediterranean chicken sausage pasta comes together in under 30 minutes with easy to find and access ingredients. This recipe can easily be customized to your liking. Instead of sun dried tomatoes you can add roasted red peppers, or you can also add in fresh halved cherry tomatoes. You could also add artichoke hearts or kalamata olives. Fresh or frozen greens like kale or spinach are great in this dish too. If you don’t like chickpeas you can omit them, or add white beans instead.

This is an easy to adjust weeknight pasta recipe that I know your whole family will love.

For other dinner pasta recipe ideas be sure to check out my Mediterranean Vegan Pasta Salad, Pasta with Scallops and Mushrooms, 4 ingredient Shrimp Pesto Pasta, BLT Pasta Salad.