Have you guys heard of this new movie series called Harry Potter? It’s about boy named Harry who goes to wizard school and the story lines are based on him and his friends facing extreme wizardry. Boy oh boy it’s good.

Ok, now I know what you’re thinking, Uh Elizabeth, Harry Potter came out in 2001. This is the perfect example of how I am usually late to the game. When it comes to music, I’ll be the first one in line at Target to purchase a physical copy of my favorite tunes, but movies… movies are a different story.

So I’ve started watching Harry Potter. The movies are about 6 hours long each so it may take me a few years to finish, but I’m up for the challenge.

In celebration of watching movie #2 I had my friend Lauren (who is taking the Harry Potter watching journey with me) over for some din din.

On last night’s menu we had pecan basil pesto pasta and chicken sausage. Oh yea!

 

I made the pesto earlier in the day, so when we were ready for dinner it was quick and easy to throw together.

If you’re looking for a quick, delicious weeknight dinner, this one is for you!

Ingredients:

Pesto: makes 1 cup

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups basil

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

3 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

pinch of salt

 

Pasta:

Chicken sausage of your choice, cooked according to package directions

3 cups rotini pasta noodles

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

 

Recipe:

In a food processor add all of the pesto ingredients and pulse until you get your desired consistency. You can make the pesto ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze it and use whenever.

Cook pasta and sausage according to the package directions. Strain the pasta and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Add about 1/2 of the pesto to the warm noodles along with 1/4 cup water and mix until incorporated well. Add spinach and mix. Add more water if needed and more pesto to your liking. Slice the chicken sausage into little rings and mix in the pasta.

Proceed to devour!