Put dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat with this simple chicken basil pesto pasta skillet that’s just loaded with healthy green goodness!
Easy + healthy + GREEEEEEEEN dinners for the new year!
My biggest goal for 2016, guys? Eat all the green things 24/7 and enjoy every second of it.
Challenge accepted. See exhibit A below. ↓
Oh, and spoiler alert: I’m currently working on a super-fun dinner recipe series to share with y’all in the veeeeeery close-ish future. And it’s pretty darn cool and wonderfully awesome, so stay tuned.
Now I have a major question regarding such things: What’s that one dinner item you absolutely adore and thus must make on a weekly basis or else you’ll lose your mind? For me it’s always been pesto pasta. Always. The green stuff is my BFF and homemade pesto is quite simply, the BEST.
So it stands to reason that a big pot ‘o the green carbs is gonna knock dinner straight outta the park. And more specifically make ME and every other green freak out there giddy with green excitement. (it’s the little thrills, guys) Home run for pesto pasta skillet!
Guys, for real. It’s almost ridiculous for me to even call this skillet a recipe because it has I’M EASY-PEASY written all over it. It was the end result of one of those frequent pesto cravings I get while at the same time I was feeling all the lazies. (hey, winter break does that to a person!)
So I whipped up my favorite pesto in the world. Threw it in a pot with tons of other dinner yum and called dinner NAILED.
That proved to be one of my better dinner ideas. Holy guacamole…
In total, there’s actually only three basic steps to making this pesto pasta. Consider dinner CONQUERED before you even start!
- Cook the pasta.
- Make the pesto sauce.
- Saute the chicken and veg, then throw everything into same the pot.
Then you faceplant, but that step actually doesn’t count because only you and I know about it. 😉
Shhhhhhh…
Ready to win at being a green boss? Guys, we’re all so in this green game together. DO IT!
30-Minute Chicken Basil Pesto Pasta Skillet
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Ingredients
- BASIL PESTO:
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- PASTA:
- 1 lb chicken breasts diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta or pasta shape of your choice, cooked according to package instructions and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water reserved
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the pesto: Place basil, spinach, pine nuts, garlic, and cheese in a food processor. With food processor running, slowly pour olive oil through top. Process pesto until completely smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set pesto aside.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute chicken, broccoli, onion, and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked and broccoli is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and add cooked pasta, pesto, and reserved 1/2 cup pasta water to pan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until pasta is heated through. Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Be sure to check out all the other 30-Minute Thursdays!
Teriyaki Chicken Stir-fry from Bake.Eat.Repeat.
30-Minute Three Bean Chipotle Quinoa Chili from Flavor the Moments
Walnut-Crusted Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad from Floating Kitchen
Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Orange-Ginger Sauce from Kristine’s Kitchen
Skinny Beef and Broccoli from Life Made Sweeter
30 Minute Chicken Stew from The Recipe Rebel
BBQ Chicken Quesadilla from Pumpkin ‘N Spice
30 Minute Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice from Savory Nothings
30 Minute Black Bean Soup with Pico De Gallo from She Likes Food
More skillet dinners your dinner table needs!
One-Skillet 30-Minute Chicken Parmesan
Stovetop Broccoli Chicken Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Anna says
How much pesto would you use if you swapped out the pesto for one that is ready-made? I can’t tell from your recipe how much of the finished pesto it is using.
Sarah says
Hi Anna! I would recommend about 2/3 cup of pre-made pesto.