Chicken Pesto Pasta with Veggies
Easy to prepare in under 25 minutes, this chicken and pasta recipe is perfect for a busy night dinner. And it's super versatile! Use in-season vegetables, and any size or shape of pasta. Plus, choose from three unique, scrumptious pesto recipes.
Servings: 4 to 5 servings
Calories: 761kcal
Ingredients
- 10 ounces linguine, tagliatelle or pappardelle
- 3/4 cup Pesto Genovese, Cilantro Pesto, or Spinach Basil Pesto divided use – see Note
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese divided use
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound asparagus trimmed
- 3 1/2 cups cooked chicken (can use poached, sautéed, grilled or roasted)
- 4 teaspoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add salt and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, return to the pot and toss with1/4 cup pesto and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the pasts is cooking, core, seed and slice bell peppers into thin strips and cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove tough ends of asparagus and cut into 1-inch pieces.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add peppers, onions and asparagus, cover and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until beginning to soften, around 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 2 - 3 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in chicken and sun-dried tomatoes; cook just until chicken is heated through, around 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup pesto and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mound cooked pasta on a large serving dish (or 4 individual serving plates or pasta bowls) and top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or more to taste). Serve immediately.
Notes
Note on pesto: if you are short on time, use store bought. Just purchase the refrigerated kind if possible; the jarred stuff has little flavor (in my opinion).
Note: This recipe was originally published in my cookbook A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®.
Nutrition
Calories: 761kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 902mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2516IU | Vitamin C: 100mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 5mg