Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine

Rafael Chung Recipes April 6, 2016 | 0

Being Paleo, anything pasta is off the menu. No ifs, ands, or buts. I know, I know…we have the “Spaghetti” squash to take it’s place. But the truth is, it is just not the same. It’s not even close. I’m dying to shove my face in gluten sin. But after all this time of missing pasta, I finally got a pack of Certified Paleo Friendly Cappello’s Fettuccine. In all honesty, I was prepared for disappointment because I have tried other gluten-free pastas and I’ve been disappointed in the past. Boy, was I wrong. Where has this been all my life!? I’m seriously kicking myself in the ass for not trying them sooner. This is as good, if not, better than the “real thing”. It doesn’t turn into mush and it is al dente! I’m not even getting paid to say this, but long story short, TRY IT! So with that, this is my first foray into Paleo Friendly Pasta, I’ve decided to make it simple: A Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine with Italian Sausages.

Before we start making this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine, do you remember your first time… eating pasta? My memory is somewhat vague due to my young age at the time. We were at The Spaghetti House in Hong Kong. From my recollection, it had dim lighting with tacky 80’s decor and of course the stereotypical trattoria pictures hanging wall to wall featuring chubby chefs with glorious mustaches, holding enormous plates of pastas. It wasn’t a Michelin star winner by any means but it felt very home-y in there. I had spaghetti and meatballs— and unlike its American counterpart with a pool of standing liquid at the bottom of the plate— the pasta was tossed with the meat sauce and served. This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine is definitely inspired by my first experience with pasta.

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

Paleo Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine

Ingredients:

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto:

¾ Cup – Re-hydrated Sun Dried Tomatoes (Drained)¹
4-5 Cloves – Slightly Browned Garlic
¼ Cup – Kasandrinos Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Tsp – Hungarian Sweet Paprika
¼ Tsp – Fresh Oregano Leaves (Minced)²
¼ Tsp – Fresh Parsley (Minced)²
1 Tsp – Sunflower Seeds
Pinch – Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Tsp – Salt

Pasta:

1 Pack – Cappello’s Fettuccine
1 Pack – Mulay’s Mild Italian Sausage (Boiled and Sliced)
¼ Cup – Fresh Beefsteak Tomatoes (Diced)
¼ Cup – Fresh Basil (Rough Chopped)
1 Cup – Fresh Spinach (Slightly Packed)

Optional:

¼ Cup – Freshly Grated Grass-fed Parmesan Cheese

Note¹: I like re-hydrating my own Sun-Dried Tomatoes, but feel free to substitute with jarred. Make sure it is good quality stuff.

Note²: If you don’t want to use fresh, feel free to use dried. Just use a pinch, about 1/8 to 1/4 Tsp

Are we going to talk ingredients? Definitely! For my Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine, I wanted to stick with as much fresh ingredients as possible. Traditional Italian foods utilize mostly all fresh ingredients. I want to allow the flavor of the food to speak for itself instead of overpowering it with a lot of spices. Like any pesto sauce, the Olive Oil is what ties it together. That’s why I choose Kasandrinos. I know their product is consistent and on top of that, it’s the tastiest EVOO on the market. What’s the keyword of this recipe? Fresh, fresh, FRESH! So let’s make the pesto first.

Pesto Instructions:

To be blunt, I’m getting tired of seeing green pesto sauce everywhere. That’s why I opted for the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine. It is actually very easy to make. First, brown a few cloves of garlic in a skillet. Save the oil for browning the sausages later. Now, take the half cooked garlic and all of the pesto ingredients and throw it in a mortar and pestle. Why a mortar and pestle? Well, it creates a better texture. A food processor creates too fine and consistent of a texture, but this is totally up to you. Allow the pesto to sit for an hour or so. The pesto can be made a day a head and kept in the fridge.

Pasta Instructions:

Let’s make the rest of the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine. If you haven’t already, boil the Mulay’s Mild Italian Sausage and slice it. Brown the sausages in a skillet over medium high heat. While the sausages are browning, let’s cook the Cappello’s Fettuccine. Is it possible to make it in the short time that the sausages brown? ABSOLUTELY! According to the instructions on the package, 90 seconds in a rolling boil will yield perfect al dente fettuccine. It is spot on. I cooked it for 90 seconds and rinsed it with cold water to stop it from overcooking. Toss the fettuccine in 1 tsp of Kasandrinos EVOO to keep it from drying out and sticking together. The Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine is almost ready. Remove the Italian sausages from the heat, combine it with the fettuccine, freshly diced tomatoes, spinach, basil and our Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. Mix everything gently so you don’t break the fettuccine. Are you getting hungry yet? Plate that baby up and, if you like, grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and get ready to chow. There you have it, my Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Fettuccine. Until next time, eat up my friends!