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Getting back into a routine as school starts this fall can be a challenge. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, but that doesn’t mean that supper has to suffer. This creamy pesto chicken pasta is quick to make and best of all – only requires one pan.
Work. School. Homework. Meetings. Chores. Bedtimes.
Some nights, it seems like I don’t have time to eat supper, let alone make it!
My family loves a good, quick pasta dish and this one is sure to please. It has a secret ingredient that you’re really going to love: Barilla Pronto pasta.
The old saying that a watched pot never boils is especially true when you’ve got somewhere to be soon, right? This pasta cooks in ten minutes with no waiting for water to boil and no draining. Barilla Pronto comes in half-cut spaghetti, rotini, and my family’s favorite: Penne.
If you’ve ever tried a one-pot recipe with regular pasta and it turned out mushy, this is the solution. The pasta holds its shape and comes out with the texture you expect pasta to have.
I picked up both the Barilla Pronto Penne and some Barilla pesto sauce at Walmart. You can find both on the pasta aisle, but I had to visit a second Walmart to find them, so don’t get discouraged. Pesto is usually on the top shelf. Here’s what to look for:
For every box of Barilla® Pronto™ purchased at Walmart between 7/31/2016 and 10/31/2016, Barilla® will donate 10 meals to kids in need through No Kid Hungry, up to half-a-million meals.*
I’ve already grabbed two boxes.
Creamy pesto chicken pasta recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds chicken breasts
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 jar Barilla pesto sauce
Instructions
Dice chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet and add chicken. Saute the chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside for now.
Add the whole box of pasta and 3 cups of water to the skillet. Turn the heat to high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes {half the time}, add the broccoli. After another 5 minutes {so 10 minutes total for the pasta}, most of the water should be absorbed. A little left is fine – no draining.
Add the 1/2 cup heavy cream and the 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and let the sauce thicken a bit. It will probably still be kind of thin, but the cheese should be completely melted.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Turn off the heat and add about half of the jar of pesto sauce and stir thoroughly.
Serve immediately, but refrigerated leftovers will reheat deliciously.
Tips
This creamy pesto chicken pasta recipe took me 40 minutes to make, start to finish, including all the prep. If you need it to be even faster, here are a few shortcuts:
- Shred a cooked rotisserie chicken
- Sub frozen broccoli or another vegetable your kids like
- Use pre-grated parmesan
- Go meatless, like this Cheesy One Pan Mac & Cheese
One pan creamy pesto chicken pasta
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds chicken breasts
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 jar Barilla pesto sauce
Instructions
- Dice chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet and add chicken. Saute the chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside for now.
- Add the whole box of pasta and 3 cups of water to the skillet. Turn the heat to high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes {half the time}, add the broccoli. After another 5 minutes {so 10 minutes total for the pasta}, most of the water should be absorbed. A little left is fine - no draining.
- Add the 1/2 cup heavy cream and the 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and let the sauce thicken a bit. It will probably still be kind of thin, but the cheese should be completely melted.
- Add the chicken back to the pan. Turn off the heat and add about half of the jar of pesto sauce and stir thoroughly.
- Serve immediately, but refrigerated leftovers will reheat deliciously.
*$1.00 can provide a child 10 healthy meals. This amount is based on individual experiences of grant recipients. Contributions will be used to reach the highest number of children facing hunger in America. Share Our Strength is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
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