12 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage {I used spinach & feta}

16 ounces penne pasta {I used whole wheat pasta}

1 red onion, thinly sliced

4-5 ounces fresh spinach

1 pint grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons store-bought pesto

3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese {I used fat free}

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Begin by cooking the pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of water in case you need to loosen the sauce at the end. In a medium-sized skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces. Place the sausage in a hot skillet and cook until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Once sausage is cooked, place on clean plate and set aside. Meanwhile, in a separate large skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft, about 6-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes, just until the tomatoes begin to soften. Turn the heat down to low and toss in the spinach. Place the cooked onion, tomato and spinach mixture in a large serving bowl, followed by the cooked pasta. Mix with the pesto and toss with the sausage and feta cheese. If the sauce seems too thick, you can gradually add, 1 tablespoon at a time, the pasta water to help loosen the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

I made this fun Mediterranean pasta dish this past weekend and it did not disappoint! With all the fresh vegetables and the whole wheat pasta, this is one meal you don’t have to feel guilty about eating. As you may recall, I definitely have an obsession with chicken sausage {see a few other recipes here & here} and I love trying it in different dishes! If you aren’t a fan of chicken sausage, you could replace it with a grilled or baked chicken too. This was one of my quicker weekend meals, so I would most assuredly recommend this for a weeknight dinner too! 

Thanks for stopping by and happy cooking!