This creamy greek yogurt pesto pasta with chicken sausage is an easy, high-protein dinner that’s bursting with flavor! Made with just 5 simple ingredients and perfect for busy weeknights.

⏰ TIME: 25 mins | 🤑 COST: $8.15
🍝 5 INGREDIENTS

One of my favorite summer meals is a delicious bowl of pesto pasta. It’s so yummy, herby, and fresh! Usually I just dump some pesto sauce on top of noodles and call it a day. But I wanted to try something different this summer, and so I decided to make a creamy pesto pasta using Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream.

Oh my gosh, this pasta turned out so delicious I don’t know how I didn’t think of this genius combo before! Throw in some chicken sausage and spinach, and you’ve got yourself a complete high protein, nutrient-packed dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes and made with just 5 ingredients!

It’s the perfect addition to your rotation of quick, easy, healthy, and high-protein pasta dinners that you can make on busy weeknights for the whole family – including picky eaters!

By the way, if you love Greek yogurt as much as I do, check out this recipe for greek yogurt bagel bites for a delicious easy high-protein snack! For another easy 30-minute pasta dinner, try the chicken sausage zucchini pasta skillet!

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Ingredients You’ll Need

8 oz pasta – any shape will work for this recipe. You can use regular, multigrain, or whole wheat pasta. I used the Barilla protein plus pasta – which contains more fiber, protein, and nutrients compared to regular pasta
Pre-cooked chicken sausages – I love using pre-cooked chicken sausage links in quick dinner recipes. You just need to brown them for 5 minutes on the skillet, and they’re ready to eat! Check out my chicken sausage and zucchini pasta for another easy pasta dinner using chicken sausage
Greek yogurt – this is what will make the pasta creamy while adding a nice dose of protein! I usually like to use 2% Greek yogurt, but you could use whole milk yogurt. I would be careful when using non-fat Greek yogurt since it can curdle easily when cooked
Basil pesto – my favorite pesto is the Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew, and Basil Pesto, but you can use any pesto sauce! You can even make your own if you have the time
Baby spinach – adds some extra nutrients to the pasta dish, and it tastes great with pesto! I used a spinach + kale mix, but you can use either one by itself if you prefer

📌 OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: Cherry or grape tomatoes pair very well with pesto. You can also top the pasta with parmesan cheese for an extra flavor boost.

substitution ideas

📌 Use whole wheat pasta if you want an extra boost of fiber and protein. Even gluten-free pasta will work well in this recipe.

📌 Replace chicken sausage with shredded rotisserie chicken, precooked meatballs, or plant-based sausage

📌 Instead of Greek yogurt, try using cottage cheese which still contains a lot of protein and will make your pesto sauce creamy

📌 Don’t love spinach? No problem! You can use any other veggies you enjoy. Broccoli, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, zucchini, or even frozen peas would be a delicious addition to this recipe

Equipment You’ll Need

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Large pot – for boiling pasta. This large pasta pot with a built-in strainer makes cooking pasta super easy!
Deep skillet – you’ll make your sauce in this skillet, then add the pasta once the sauce is ready. You want to make sure your skillet is deep enough! I love my T-fal saute pan for recipes like this
Mixing bowl – for mixing together the pesto sauce. Glass mixing bowls like this one from Amazon are my favorite!

$28.99

$39.99

$27.19

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Step-by-Step Instructions for Greek Yogurt Pesto Pasta With Chicken Sausage

1. Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.

2. Make the creamy pesto sauce

While the pasta is cooking, make your creamy pesto sauce.

I recommend letting the Greek yogurt sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before this step. This is going to help prevent the sauce from splitting/curdling when it’s added to the pasta.

Mix together Greek yogurt and pesto in a mixing bowl until it’s evenly combined. If your sauce seems thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water to loosen it up a little bit. Set the pasta sauce aside for now.

Don’t worry if you forget to take the Greek yogurt out of the fridge before you mix it with the pesto. Just let your yogurt-pesto sauce sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before you get to step #4.

3. Saute the chicken sausage

While your pasta noodles are cooking, go ahead and brown the chicken sausage.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Slice the pre-cooked sausage links into rounds (like above) and add to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or the sausage is lightly browned on both sides.

4. Add pasta + pesto sauce to the skillet

Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sausage. Mix gently to combine. Now, turn off the heat and let the skillet cool for about 2-3 minutes. You can even remove the skillet from the stove.

Make sure that the yogurt-pesto sauce you made in step #2 is sitting on the counter for at least 15-20 minutes before adding it to the skillet. This is going to make sure that the sauce doesn’t curdle when added to the warm pasta, since Greek yogurt tends to split and curdle if exposed to high heat.

Pour the yogurt-pesto sauce on top of the pasta + sausage mixture, then stir gently to combine. Leave it off the heat while you do this.

5. Stir in the spinach

Add the fresh baby spinach leaves into the skillet and cover. The spinach leaves will wilt from the heat of the pasta. Mix gently to combine everything as the spinach wilts.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes & Suggestions

Make sure you use pre-cooked sausage links! This recipe is written for using pre-cooked sausage links. If you use raw meat, you will have to cook it for a longer period of time in step #3.
To prevent curdling, make sure the Greek yogurt is sitting on the counter for at least 15-20 minutes before you add it to the pasta. I also recommend taking the skillet off the stove or at least shutting off the stove before you add the yogurt-pesto sauce
If your sauce curdled, it’s still safe to eat! But it may give a little bit of clumpy or gritty texture to the pasta. See the FAQ below for some tips if your pasta does curdle
Top with parmesan – I didn’t top my pasta with cheese due to personal preference, but you can definitely add some grated parmesan on top if you want!
Add extra veggies like roasted cherry tomatoes or roasted zucchini for color and nutrition

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days

Reheat: Gently microwave in 30-second intervals, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Avoid overheating to prevent the yogurt from curdling
Freezing not recommended since yogurt does not freeze well

Frequently Asked Questions

This recipe is a lightened-up pasta that’s still creamy and delicious! Plus, it’s packed with spinach and protein to make it a more filling, nutritious dinner.

However, pesto is high in fats. So if you are on a low-fat or low-calorie diet, this may not be the best recipe for you.

Here’s some of the good stuff you can find in this recipe:

High protein content
Spinach adds iron, vitamin K, vitamin C, and folate
Calcium from the greek yogurt
No heavy cream = less saturated fats

Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your own doctor or your child’s pediatrician before making any changes to your diet or your child’s diet/feeding approach. Read the full disclaimer here.

🤑 The cost estimate for this recipe is $8.15 for 4 servings, which is about $2.04 per serving!

Here are some tips to save money while making this recipe:

Buy store-brand pasta and Greek yogurt
I found that the cheapest places to buy chicken sausage are Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s. You can also shop around for sales at your local grocery store
If you already have the ingredients, you can make your own pesto at home to save money!
Use protein and veggies you already have at home – even leftover rotisserie chicken goes great in this recipe as a substitution for chicken sausage!

For babies: Cook the pasta until very soft (make sure the noodles mush up when you press on them). Instead of pesto, blend spinach + olive oil until smooth, and add it to the pasta. You can add greek yogurt if your baby has tolerated dairy products already. Skip the chicken sausage since it’s tough for babies to chew – just do soft pasta + blended sauce.

For toddlers: I would still recommend skipping chicken sausage and using shredded chicken or ground meat for protein instead.

Yes! Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out excess water before stirring it in at the end. The texture will be softer than if you were to use fresh spinach, but it still works well!

It’s okay! It’s still safe to eat, but the texture may be a little clumpy. Try these tricks to help reverse the problem:

Add a splash of warm (not hot!) pasta water or milk while gently mixing
Add a drizzle of olive oil or butter
Whisk room-temperature yogurt + warm pasta water in a separate bowl, then slowly mix it into the pasta
Remove the pan from any heat source completely and stir the sauce quickly and continuously to reincorporate the yogurt

It’s still safe to eat the pasta, even if the yogurt splits. You can also add a little more pesto by itself to help offset the yogurt.

Yes! Use a dairy-free yogurt (like coconut or almond milk yogurt) and a dairy-free pesto. I haven’t tried these myself, but I think it should work in this recipe. Just follow the same rules about letting the yogurt sit at room temperature before adding to the skillet.

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The Printable Recipe Card

5-Ingredient Creamy Greek Yogurt Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Name: 5-Ingredient Creamy Greek Yogurt Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 oz dry pasta; 2 links pre-cooked chicken sausage; ½ cup Greek yogurt ((sitting on counter and out of the fridge for 15-20 mins)); ½ cup basil pesto; 2 cups baby spinach; 1 tbsp olive oil

This creamy greek yogurt pesto pasta with chicken sausage is an easy, high-protein dinner that's bursting with flavor! Made with just 5 simple ingredients and perfect for busy weeknights.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Large pot for boiling pasta
Large deep skillet
Mixing bowl

Ingredients

8 oz dry pasta
2 links pre-cooked chicken sausage
½ cup Greek yogurt (sitting on counter and out of the fridge for 15-20 mins)
½ cup basil pesto
2 cups baby spinach

Pantry staples

1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain.
Make pasta sauce: In a mixing bowl, stir together basil pesto and Greek yogurt. Make sure that the yogurt has been out of the fridge and sitting on the counter for 15-20 minutes before this step. Add 1–2 tbsp lukewarm water if the sauce seems too thick.
Brown the chicken sausage: In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Slice chicken sausage links into rounds (as pictured). Add to skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until browned on both sides.
Add pasta to skillet: Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Mix gently to combine. Turn off the heat, or remove the skillet from the stove. Let the skillet cool down for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the pasta sauce: Pour the yogurt-pesto sauce on top of the pasta + sausage. Mix to combine. Add in 1 tbsp of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Add spinach leaves directly to the skillet (with the heat still turned off). Fold in gently until spinach is wilted.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Make sure you use pre-cooked sausage links! This recipe is written for using pre-cooked sausage links. If you use raw meat, you will have to cook it for a longer period of time in step #3.

To prevent curdling, make sure the Greek yogurt is sitting on the counter for at least 15-20 minutes before you add it to the pasta. I also recommend taking the skillet off the stove or at least shutting off the stove before you add the yogurt-pesto sauce

If your sauce curdled, it’s still safe to eat! But it may give a little bit of clumpy or gritty texture to the pasta. See the FAQ below for some tips if your pasta does curdle

Top with parmesan – I didn’t top my pasta with cheese due to personal preference, but you can definitely add some grated parmesan on top if you want!

Add extra veggies like roasted cherry tomatoes or roasted zucchini for color and nutrition

Keyword 5-Ingredient Recipe, Chicken Sausage, Easy Dinners, Greek Yogurt, High Protein Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Pasta, Pesto, Quick Recipes, Spinach Recipes

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went!

I’m always open to suggestions, comments, or feedback on tweaking my recipes. If something wasn’t clear or if you think a step could be done better, or you added your own edits to this recipe, share it in the comments below or send me a message!

Looking for more 5-ingredient dinner recipes?

**CREAMY GREEK YOGURT PESTO PASTA WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE**

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5-Ingredient Creamy Greek Yogurt Pesto Pasta With Chicken Sausage

Tired of the same old snacks?
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