Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Meat & Parsley Pesto

The beauty of this spaghetti recipe is that it is very easy to make and has a wonderful taste. The sausage meat / pesto sauce combination creates a burst of flavours in the mouth. This parsley pesto is also a cheaper twist to the traditional basil pesto.

Ingredients:
- 300gm spaghetti
- 1 large mild Italian sausage, casing removed and meat finely crumbled
- 1 tablespoon butter

For the Pesto:
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts toasted
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

Method:
Pesto Preparation:
Combine parsley, garlic and pine nuts in the olive oil and blend using a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté the sausage meat in butter until just browned.

Pasta Preparation:
Boil the tagliatelle in plenty of water until cooked to the desired doneness. Drain and pour one cup of cold water over the cooked tagliatelle to stop the cooking. Drain and return to the pot. Pour over the parsley pesto and toss to blend in flavours. Stir in the sausage meat and toss once again. Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and freshly grated pepper.