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    Home » Entrees

    One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal

    Published: Feb 3, 2020 · Modified: Jul 16, 2020 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 3 Comments

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    Serve up this One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal on a busy weeknight. Packed with veggies & a breeze to make! 184 calories and 7 Weight Watchers SP
    Serve up this One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal on a busy weeknight. Packed with veggies & a breeze to make! 184 calories and 7 Weight Watchers SP | Skillet | Low Carb | Vegetable | Gluten Free | Recipe | Chicken | Healthy #cauliflowerrice #onepotmeal #onepotrecipe #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes

    Another one pot meal coming your way! This Chicken Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal is being added to my list of favorite one post chicken recipes. And because it involves chicken sausage and pesto, it received an enthusiastic thumbs-up from my kids, who will go back for seconds and thirds if either of those two ingredients are involved. They didn't even notice that I used cauliflower rice instead of regular rice!

    This recipe is packed with veggies and nutrients. While I opted for broccoli and red bell peppers, feel free to use whatever's in your fridge and what appeals to your family. If my family shared my love of mushrooms, I would have added some crimini or portobello mushrooms to this meal in a heartbeat!

    Crumbled chicken Italian sausage in a nonstick skillet

    WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS SAUSAGE CAULIFLOWER RICE MEAL:

    These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…

    • Sausage: Look for raw chicken sausage links, either sweet or spicy Italian. You'll be squeezing the sausages out of the casings and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon as it browns.
    • Cauliflower rice: Pre-made cauliflower rice is readily available in the produce or frozen vegetable sections of most supermarkets. No need to defrost frozen cauliflower rice first - just dump it straight into the pan. If you prefer to make cauliflower rice from scratch, follow the instructions in this sauteed cauliflower rice post.
    • Pesto: Either homemade or store-bought pesto will do. We usually have a container of the Kirkland (Costco) pesto on hand for quick meals.
    • Vegetables: Shallots, garlic, broccoli and red bell pepper all add flavor and nutrients to this meal. Mushrooms, green beans, zucchini and snap peas would also be good options.
    • Chicken broth: I always keep cartons of store-bought chicken broth on hand for soups, stews and sauces. But if you have some homemade stock stashed away in your freezer, by all mean use that.

    Small bowl of pesto held over a skillet of sauteed vegetables

    Tips for making this cauliflower rice skillet:

    Start by cooking the sausage. Squeeze the raw sausage out of its casings straight into a hot skillet. Use a wooden spoon or scraper, like this one (affiliate link), to break up the sausage as it browns.

    Once the shallots and garlic have sauteed for a minute, pour in the chicken broth. FLAVOR ALERT! As the broth is heating, use your wooden spoon to scrape any browned sausage bits off the bottom of the pan. This is called "deglazing the pan" and those bits add more flavor than you can imagine. Don't skip this step!

    All that's left to do is to simmer the vegetables, including the cauliflower rice, in the broth, then mix everything with several tablespoons of pesto and the cooked sausage. Serve it up!

    Easy one pot meals are life savers at dinnertime. This one is packed with chicken sausage and vegetables, and flavored with pesto. 184 calories and 7 Weight Watchers SP | Skillet | Low Carb | Vegetable | Gluten Free | Recipe | Chicken | Healthy #cauliflowerrice #onepotmeal #onepotrecipe #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes

    Can this one pot meal be made ahead of time?

    Yes, if you follow one rule. Don't overcook the veggies. No one likes overcooked, mushy broccoli. If you are going to make this dish ahead of time, slightly undercook the broccoli. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cool, cover and refrigerate. I suggest storing it for no more than 24 hours to keep the veggies at their freshest.

    When ready to serve, heat it gently in a skillet set over medium heat until the mixture is hot. You may need to add another ¼ cup or so of broth to loosen things up since the cauliflower rice will have absorbed most of the liquid while resting.

    Other cauliflower rice meals:

    Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice {Cookin' Canuck}
    Vegetarian Cauliflower Rice Skillet Meal {Cookin' Canuck}
    One Pan Chicken & Artichoke Cauliflower Rice {One Fine Day}
    Sheet Pan Balsamic Basil Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl {The Whole Cook}

    Serve up this One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal on a busy weeknight. Packed with veggies & a breeze to make! 184 calories and 7 Weight Watchers SP | Skillet | Low Carb | Vegetable | Gluten Free | Recipe | Chicken | Healthy #cauliflowerrice #onepotmeal #onepotrecipe #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes

    One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal

    Serve up this One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal on a busy weeknight. Packed with veggies & a breeze to make! 184 calories and 7 Weight Watchers SP
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrees
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cauliflower Rice, One Pot
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 Servings
    Calories: 184kcal
    Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound chicken Italian sausage links (raw)
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 shallot minced
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
    • 2 cups small broccoli florets
    • 3 ½ cups (about 16 oz.) cauliflower rice
    • 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
    • ¼ cup pesto
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
    • 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
    • Salt and pepper to taste*
    • Grated Parmesan cheese if desired
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Squeeze the sausages out of their casings into the skillet. Discard the casings.
    • Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage as it cooks. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
    • Add the olive oil to the skillet, then the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
    • Pour in the chicken broth. As the broth comes to a simmer, scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to release any cooked sausage bits.
    • Stir in the cauliflower rice, broccoli and red pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a fork and the broth is mostly absorbed, about 5 minutes.
    • Return the sausage to the mixture, along with the pesto , salt, pepper and parsley.
    • Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

    Notes

    Weight Watchers Points: 7 (Blue - Freestyle SmartPoints), 7 (Green), 7 (Purple)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.7g | Protein: 12.8g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 48.3mg | Sodium: 667mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 3.6g
    Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

    Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Gladys Nelson

        February 27, 2020 at 10:22 pm

        5 stars
        I liked this very much!

        Reply
      2. Kristabella

        February 03, 2020 at 10:30 am

        Hi, there is no cauliflower listed in the recipe? How much?

        Reply
        • Dara

          February 03, 2020 at 10:36 am

          Ack! Sorry about that, Kristabella. The recipe has been updated.

          Reply

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      I'm Dara, a Canadian living in the U.S. and sharing my favorite healthy recipes. My cooking motto is that healthy eating never needs to be boring!

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