Why you'll love this recipe
This delicious pasta salad can be thrown together in just 30 minutes. It is perfect for a weeknight dinner during a busy work week as it does not require too much prep time. This dish contains all the necessary ingredients that are required to make a nutritionally balanced meal.
Wholesome ingredients
Avocado is a source of monounsaturated fatty acids, which helps to keep us feeling satiated after eating. Avocados are also a great source of vitamin E (skin health), B vitamins, and fiber.
Baby kale / arugula are cruciferous vegetables, which are considered nutrition powerhouses. Cruciferous vegetables are great for cleansing both the liver and the colon.
Stapleton Sausage is my first pick when it comes to purchasing high quality meat. All of their sausages contain no gluten, no MSG, and no nitrates. Many sausages on the market contain high amounts of fat, which are often used as fillers. However, Stapleton Sausage uses wholesome ingredients in all of their products. They do not pack their sausages with extra fat. In fact, their sausages are extremely lean and low in fat. They source out their meat from local farms who take good care of their animals. All of their sausages are made with flavourful herbs and spices, which reduces cooking time because you don't have to spend time flavouring your meat!
Tahini is a creamy smooth paste made from hulled sesame seeds. It is a high protein spread that can add a nice creamy texture to dressings, sauces, and deserts.
Avocado Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
Serves: 4
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 package of rotini noodles (about 340 grams), I used gluten free rice noodles
½ bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 ½ inch size pieces
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
¼ cup pine nuts
2 cups packed baby kale or arugula
1 package of sun dried tomato and basil turkey sausages from Stapleton Sausage (package comes with 4 sausages)
2 tsp avocado oil
Optional toppings
Goat feta cheese
Green onion
Avocado basil pesto sauce
Ingredients
½ large avocado
½ cup fresh basil, tightly packed
Handful of cilantro
¼ cup tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ cup + 2 tbsp water
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss the chopped asparagus into a bowl with avocado oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Prepare the noodles as per the package instructions, add sea salt to the pot. (if using gluten free noodles, when they are done rinse them in cold water and toss them in 1 tsp of avocado oil and sea salt to prevent sticking), then set aside and allow to cool.
Prepare the sausage by adding the frozen sausages to a saucepan with some cold water (you don’t need to fully submerge the sausage in water, about 1 inch of water is good).
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to simmer and allow to cook for 5 - 7 minutes, switching the sausages halfway. Then remove the water from the pan. Add 1 tsp of avocado oil to the pan, pan fry the sausages on medium heat for another 5 minutes, switching halfway. Keep an eye on them, as you don’t want them to over coo (they are done when the sides have browned slightly). Then chop them into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Prepare the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a food processor, pulse until smooth.
Assemble the salad: in a large mixing bowl toss the noodles, baby kale (or arugula), sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, asparagus, and pesto sauce.
Transfer to plates and top with chopped sausages, goat feta, and green onion.
Notes:
If you would like your noodles extra saucy then I recommend doubling the pesto recipe!
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