Our Five Ring Circus: Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Easy Dinner Recipe

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Easy Dinner Recipe

 

Easy Pasta Recipe

*I received this product for free from Moms Meet for review. Compensation for this post was provided and this post may contain affiliate links.

Meal Planning for 5 family dinners a week is no easy task! My husband and 5 kids have their favorites, and it seems like we fall into a dinner rut at times. I love adding new easy dinner recipes to the rotation!

My kids love pasta dinners. Liam could EASILY eat gluten free pasta with traditional sauce every single day - and often does! There's no doubt pasta dishes are easy to make, and seem to be a favorite for many. There are so many options, but we don't venture away from traditional red sauce very often. It was definitely time to try something different! 

I like pesto, but most of my family never tried it. I decided to switch our usual pasta dish up with grilled chicken, tomatoes, bacon, mozzarella, and Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto. Guess what? They LOVED it! We now have a new easy pasta recipe to add to our meal planning rotation!

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto


I'm going to be honest. I LOVE easy recipes. Sometimes that means using jarred sauces and packaged mixes, instead of making homemade. I never attempted to make homemade pesto, nor do I have the urge, so I was so excited to see that Barilla sells a jarred version! That's exactly what inspired me to make a pasta dish using pesto.

Pesto offers a burst of delicious Italian flavor, thanks to the basil and Italian cheese, and a little bit goes a long way! Barilla recommends mixing in the entire 6.2 oz jar with 16 ounces of pasta, but I wanted to introduce my family to the taste, so I opted for half the jar. It still gave the pasta that distinct pesto flavor, without overwhelming them!

Although I did use jarred pesto, the pasta tasted fresh and homemade. It was full of flavor, textures, and ingredients my family loves. They loved the taste, and loved being able to customize their servings with bacon bits and shredded mozzarella!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Easy Dinner Recipe


CREAMY PESTO CHICKEN PASTA

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz elbow macaroni (I used gluten free)
  • 3 oz Barilla® Creamy Genovese Pesto
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 8-10 grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup grilled chicken 
  • Bacon Bits for topping
  • Shredded Mozzarella for topping

Make It:

  1. Boil 16 oz of your favorite type of pasta, then drain.
  2. Pour in olive oil, and stir until coated.
  3. Stir in chicken and tomatoes.
  4. Mix in pesto.
  5. Top with bacon bits and mozzarella cheese after serving.
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A few things worth noting about Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto:

  • It does not need to be heated before using. I simply mixed it into the pasta straight out of the jar!
  • Refrigerate after opening.
  • It's best if used within five days of opening.
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Here are other tasty ways to use Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto:

  • Use it as a sandwich spread
  • Use on grilled cheese or egg sandwiches
  • Spread onto toast
  • Marinate meats and vegetables
  • Use it as a dip
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Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Easy Dinner Recipe


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