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
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!
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.
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!
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 1/4 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}
One Pot Pesto Sausage Cauliflower Rice Meal
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken Italian sausage links (raw)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 3 1/2 cups (about 16 oz.) cauliflower rice
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste*
- Grated Parmesan cheese if desired
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
Nutrition
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.
Kristabella says
Hi, there is no cauliflower listed in the recipe? How much?
Dara says
Ack! Sorry about that, Kristabella. The recipe has been updated.