My love affair with Pesto sauce started at Cost-co. It actually began with the purchase of a Hot Turkey Provolone sandwich from the food court. That sandwich was yummy, but what put it over the top was that it had been spread with Pesto Sauce. Up until the time I first sampled that fragrant, fresh, bright green basil, mixed so delightfully with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano and olive oil, I had no real idea how pesto sauce tasted, how absolutely delicious it was, or how it would become an integral part of many wonderful dishes in our family’s future. We bought a jar and brought it home. Since that day, we’ve never allowed ourselves to run out of it. I could eat a spoonful of it right now!
One evening while preparing the recipe for easy Blender Alfredo Sauce that our family loves so much, my daughter Boo suggested that we add some pesto to it. I was all for it, and the resulting dish was so absolutely fabulous that, I’m now embarrassed to admit, we couldn’t stop eating it.
THIS CREAMY DELICIOUS PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND PESTO IS READY IN HALF AN HOUR!!
Everything can be prepared using a single large skillet or pot, which also saves on clean-up.
ONE POT CHICKEN ALFREDO PESTO PASTA
1 -16 oz. package penne, rotini or bow tie pasta (I use either Barilla Plus or Dreamfields)
One good pinch of salt
2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
1 pound chicken breast – cubed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese – (NOT fat free)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green can works fine)
3/4 cup chicken broth ( or 1 tsp “Better than Bullion” Organic Chicken Paste and 3/4 c. water)
1/2 cup pesto (I use Kirkland Basil Pesto )
Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water, until slightly under done (al dente.) Drain and set aside.
Over medium high heat, in same pot or skillet, heat the oil. Add the cubed chicken, season with garlic powder, cooking, and stirring until all pink has disappeared (about 10 min).
Meanwhile: In a blender or food processor ( I use a Magic Bullet) blend the cream cheese and chicken broth until smooth.
Return cooked pasta to skillet and pour blended cheese mixture over all. Add the pesto, and stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes until mixture is heated through.
Serve right out of the pot, with additional Parmesan or Romano cheese. (It’s OK to use the kind in the green can!)
NOTE: If you use Dreamfield’s pasta, the resulting dish will be low in net carbohydrates.
Here’s my take on the Cost-co sandwich that gave me my first taste of pesto
This would be a fantastic recipe for freshly made pesto. YUM.
I know! I should learn to make my own, but the Kirkland from Costco is so good. I tried once and it was pretty yucky in comparison.
I love one pot dishes, and pesto is one of my favorites!
Thanks Kallee.
Sounds and looks delish! this recipe would be great when there’s a ton of basil growing in the garden and you need to use some too.
Thanks Christina. I’m thinking I maybe should try and make my own pesto, but the Kirkland from Costco is AMAZING!
I love pesto and adding it to any pasta dish is so good. We use store-bought in the winter and then make our own in the summer when fresh basil is available. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Marie, for stopping by. I’m going to give the home made variety a try this summer. I have a big bush of basil.
thanks for sharing the recipe looks absolutely yummy have a great day
Thank you, Lorraine!
I love pesto too and make a lot of it to freeze when my herb bed overflows. Funny I don’t care for it with pine nuts but prefer walnuts. The pasta looks divine
I’ve never had it with Walnuts, but I’m sure it would be delicious. The pasta truly is divine, and so quick to make!
Pesto is a favorite here too, and we still have quite a bit in the freezer from last summer. Add some chicken and pasta and you just can’t go wrong. It looks delicious, Marjie.
Thanks Karen, for stopping by. I can’t begin to tell you how yummy this is!
I love pesto too and it sounds wonderful combined with Alfredo, thank you to your daughter for the great idea!
I shall thank her, Joy! She reminds me regularly to add it to the menu!
This does look absolutely yummy. I don’t eat much pasta anymore but my family loves it so every once in a while we chow down. This would be a new and different way to make it. Thanks so much!
Thank you, Michelle for your kind comments. It really is a great sauce – If I couldn’t ever eat Pasta, I think I would likely put it on veggies – like zucchini, broccoli and or mushroom.
I’ve made a recipe similar to this and it was really good. It’s a great way to jazz up a regular alfredo sauce.
Thanks, Erlene!
I am going to have to try this! I love, love pesto. I made a homemade pizza last night and smothered pizza on it before adding Alfredo sauce. Actually, I need to try your sauce recipe too!
Us too! We often put Alfredo and pesto on a pizza! This sauce is almost as fast as using jarred sauce, but doesn’t have the added ingredients.
Alfredo is my kid’s absolute favorite food, and he just happen to like pesto too – so I imagine he’s going to love this! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thanks, Kelly. It really is a kid’s favorite!
I grow basil in pots all summer just so that I can have fresh pesto! 🙂 Being allergic to nuts, I have to make my own. Sometimes I sub sunflower seeds for the nuts and sometimes I just leave them out. Throw everything in the blender, pulse and you have fresh pesto. Your creamy pasta looks satisfying and delicious. I can’t wait until I can make my first batches of pesto and give this a try! Thanks, Marjie. 🙂
That is super neat, being able to make your own pesto to suit your allergies. I need to try to make my own again.
This recipe sounds amazing, Marjie! I love pesto and alfredo. We will definitely be trying this one.
Thank you Kara. It makes a little more than two cups of sauce. Enjoy!
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What a great (and easy) meal! Pesto is such a versatile ingredient. YUM.
This is an amazingly easy and SUPER YUMMY meal! The Alfredo / Pesto sauce doesn’t separate like other Alfredo sauces do, and it is quite inexpensive to make. Every time I find cream cheese on sale, I buy a bunch and freeze it for future uses! (Just don’t freeze it if you are going to make a cream cheese frosting.)