Pesto Pasta Salad

  

  Pesto= Delicious
Pasta= Delicious
Pesto+Pasta= |_|

~Ingredients~

One package of five sausages

One pound of Penne pasta

One tablespoon of butter/margarine

Two cloves of peeled garlic

Two cups of fresh basil leaves

1/2 of a cup of fresh parsley leaves

Two tablespoons of pine nuts

1/2 half of a cup of olive oil

1/4 of a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper

Two cups of seeded and diced Roma tomatoes

One small chopped green bell pepper

One cup (4 ounces) cubed mozzarella cheese

Red leaf lettuce for garnish (optional)

~ Preparation~

Cook sausage in a large skillet or on grill until browned; let it cool. Cut sausage in half, lengthwise; cut each half into 1/4 inch slices and set them aside. Cook the Penne according to package directions; drain. Toss in large bowl with butter to prevent sticking.

To prepare pesto sauce, place garlic cloves into a food processor /blender and process until it's smooth. Add basil and parsley, and process them until they are finely chopped. Add pine nuts; again process until they're finely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Add the Parmesan cheese and black pepper; process until it's well blended, scraping it down the side of the bowl as needed. To put together this culinary awesomeness, toss sausage, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, and mozzarella cheese with Penne. Gradually stir in pesto until salad us moist, but not saturated. Serve salad on a lettuce lined platter, if desired. Enjoy! The leftovers (if any) can be refrigerated!