Now you could easily make your own pesto... it would probably be tons better that way anyway, but I was lazy.... and my basil plant isn't THAT big yet, so had I made my own pesto, it would have used all the leaves, and we don't want that, so prepared, store bought was the way to go for me. And as I state in the recipe, quantities of ingredients are really by taste and how it looks. You want it to be a tiny bit creamy, it shouldn't be a runny sauce - unless you want it to be that is!
Penne and Chicken with Creamy Pesto Sauce
Adapted from My Recipes.com
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
8-10 oz penne pasta
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1/4-1/2 cup prepared pesto (depends on your taste, I used about 1/3 cup)
2-4 Tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
3/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
Fresh chopped basil - optional
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain well. Put pasta back in pot and add the chicken. Stir in pesto. Add the half and half or cream until the pasta is no longer dry and you have a creamy texture. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls or on plates and top with fresh chopped basil if desired. Enjoy!
Two Years Ago: BLT Scrambled Eggs
Three Years Ago: Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Spread
simple, tasty and most importantly, so bloody easy... x
ReplyDeleteJenn, this is a super comfort meal. Love pesto sauce.
ReplyDeleteJenn, I made a similar dish a couple weeks ago and didn't like my photos, so didn't pot it. BUT, we thought it was delicious. And so simple. And no, don't use up all of those leaves for one small batch of pesto. I had four plants this year, so had enough to make a batch or two.
ReplyDeleteis making hungry, it looks so good. Delicious!!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious and simple Jenn. Bev bought some pesto at the farmers market in Whitefish, MT and we had it over pasta but I wish I had thought about adding the cream to it.
ReplyDeleteIt looks awesome to me! I love a simple pasta for weeknight dinners.
ReplyDeleteJenn, it's hard NOT to be in a cooking slump when it's sooooo hot! But this dish is too good to be considered "slump" cooking!
ReplyDeleteI really like this dish. Proof that simple can be delicious.
ReplyDeleteVelva
Oh that looks seriously good and so simple. You know me, how much I love pasta... YUM!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds GREAT! Another recipe for my "to do" file. Thanks! And, luckily I have lots of basil to make a big batch of pesto! Come back to NE & I'll share!!
ReplyDeleteSlump or not, this looks and sounds like a great recipe, Jenn.
ReplyDeleteWho cares if it's simple as long as it's delicious! I've been in a bit of a slump lately too and so busy with work so it's a lot of one pot dishes for me, this is another great one for those nights I'm too tired to cook anything fancy.
ReplyDelete