Pasta with spinach pesto and chicken cutlets

Ingredients:

• 280 g mezzi rigatoni pasta
• 4 cups baby spinach (about 85g)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + extra for drizzling
• 2 tbsp pine nuts, chopped almonds or walnuts
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon + juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese + extra for sprinkling
• 2 raw sweet Italian sausages (90g each), casings removed
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Separately, remove 0.5 cups of the water from the pan and discard the rest.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine 2 cups spinach, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon each olive oil and nuts, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the Parmesan, and process again until smooth. Set the pesto aside.
3. Form the ground meat into patties, just over 2 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
4. Turn over, add garlic to the pan and cook until tender, another 2 minutes.
5. Add the pasta, pesto sauce, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir to coat, adding more water as needed; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining 2 cups of spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon of nuts, and drizzle with olive oil.