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Pasta night is mandatory once a week in my home. We cycle through difference sauces, but when that weather gets warmer, it’s all about pasta with pesto sauce. I love making a big batch of the sauce and storing it to use with chicken, in sandwiches,on flatbread or even crackers. But it’s definitely the best with pasta!
The Basics of Pesto Sauce
Here’s all you need to make that magic green pesto sauce!
- Greens – this could be one of the following or a combination of basil, spinach, kale, arugula, parsley, mint or micro greens
- Garlic – make sure it’s fresh!
- Nuts – Pine nuts are most popular, or you can use walnuts or almonds, like I did
- High quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Grated Parmesan cheese (this can be omitted to make it vegan)
Essentially, pesto is derived from the Italian word for “pestare” which means to pound or crush. So we crush it all together in a food processor and it’s pesto pronto!
And here’s that beauty shot of the pesto sauce with pasta! I used linguine but the beauty of pesto sauce is that it works with almost any shape of pasta! Here are the most popular pasta parings with pesto:
- Flat long noodles: fettuccine, linguine or pappardelle
- Long tube noodles: bucatini or perciatelli
- Short tube pasta: penne, rigatoni or cavatappi
- Small tube pasta: macaroni or ditalini
What’s awesome about this pasta with pesto sauce? It literally pairs well with so many things: grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp or a big side of salad. I like cutting up grilled chicken into small pieces for the kids and just giving it all a nice toss.
However you pair it, however you customize it, this is one of the best pesto sauces! I’m in love with this recipe and I hope you try it and love it too!
Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti pasta
- ½ cup pesto
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 6- ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of one lemon
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
- Return drained pasta to the same pot over low heat and add the pesto, Parmesan cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in reserved pasta water gradually until the sauce is glossy.
- Preheat a grill pan to medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and transfer to the heated skillet. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips and add on top of the pesto pasta.
- Add the lemon juice on top and garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Thanks for sharing..
Thank you!
Big fan of pasta and pesto, nice recipe!
Thanks Ali!
It is all about pasta with pesto sauce. Yummy.