In our life, fast dinners are an absolute must. We have so many nights when we are trying to just throw together dinner the best we can in the midsts of sports, homework, and other activities. This Pesto Chicken Pasta – based off of my Pesto Pasta Salad – is the perfect go to dinner for busy nights. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and is so easy to make. Also, if you are working on teaching your kids how to cook, this is a perfect dinner to start with because it is so easy. Teaching my kids to cook has been such an incredible joy in my life. They love it!
How to Make Chicken Pesto Pasta
This is one of those great recipes that after you make once you will be able to make it in your sleep.
What is Pesto
If you are new to cooking with pesto, I’m just so incredibly excited for you because it is going to knock your socks off. Pesto is a sauce that is made, usually, from fresh basil, oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. It is incredibly easy to make, and if you have a full basil crop worth making in big batches to freeze and eat into the fall. Some of my other favorite pesto dishes are:
Pesto Chicken Italian Pesto Sliders Pesto Pinwheels
What to Serve with Chicken Pesto Pasta
This is a great dish on it’s own on a busy weeknight, but is made even better when you pair it with a great vegetable side. Here are some recipes it would go great with.
Use enough water. We are boiling 1 pound of pasta in this recipe. For that we will need 4 quarts of water, or 16 cups. Let the water come to a roaring boil. Wait to throw in the uncooked pasta until you see big bubbles. Salt the water. This very simple step can literally make or break a dish. A teaspoon of kosher salt stirred into the pasta water will sharpen the flavor of the whole dish. Set a timer. As soon as you toss in the pasta, set a timer for the bottom end of the time range on the box. This will ensure that your pasta is cooked to al dente. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. When the timer goes off, taste the pasta. It should have a little bite left to it. In other words, it should be soft enough that you want to eat the whole pot full, but not too soft that it has gone gummy.
My suggestion to you is if you are new to cooking gluten free pasta, make sure to read the directions on the package closely so you get the best results. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. We reheated in covered bowls in the microwave at half power, stirring half way through.
Zucchini Soup Italian Green Beans Mediterranean Salad Zucchini Panzanella Salad
I’d love to hear from you if you make this chicken pesto pasta recipe! Leave me a comment and let me know!
