One pot pasta is always a good go to when time is tight. Also, I love these recipes because it helps me clean out my pantry and leftovers as well. In this recipe I’ll be using some basil from my herb garden to make pesto 2 ways. And then I’ll combine it with some left over chicken I had along with some spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and onion.
I also see this recipe with cream cheese, but sometimes that is just too heavy for me. So here I use just a little bit of heavy cream and fresh parmigiano reggiano to add the creaminess.
I hope you give this a try with some items from your pantry or fridge. And if you do let me know what you tried!
Ingredients
Ingredients
Pesto
2 Cups Basil
1tsp salt
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp parm
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pasta
Noodles of your choice
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 white onion diced
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp parm
3 sun-dried tomatoes w/ oil from the jar
3 tbsp pesto
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 diced chicken breast
Instructions
To make the pesto:
Begin by toasting the pine nuts until they have a little bit of color and begin to smell fragrant. Add a few leaves of the basil into the mortar with some salt and pine nuts. And begin to grind them down with the pestle until the leaves are broken down, and then add in more leaves a few at a time until they are all added. Then add in the olive oil and cheese until it is the consistency and taste you like.
To make the pasta:
Begin by getting some water boiling so you can cook your pasta.
Prep all your other ingredients so they are ready when you need them because this comes together pretty quick.
Place your pan or dutch oven on medium high heat with some oil in the bottom.
Once the oil is hot add in your onions and cook them until they are almost translucent.
Next add in your garlic and cook it for about 1 minute. Followed by the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.
Continue to stir until the spinach is cooked down and then add in your chicken stock and use it to scrape up any bits that are stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Reduce down the chicken stock until it is mostly gone, but leave a bit so the noodles can also soak some of it up as well.
Add in your noodles and mix it all together.
Turn down the heat to low and add in your pesto and cream, and then stir to combine.
Lastly, turn off your heat and add in your grated Parmesan.
And if you like a little bit of heat you could add in some cracked pepper or pepper flakes here as well.
Then serve with some extra pesto and more grated cheese on top.
Enjoy!
Let me know how it turned out!
