Creamy Pesto Pasta combines tender spaghetti and juicy chicken in a deliciously rich Creamy Pesto Sauce for the perfect family meal!
This easy recipe comes together quickly and everyone raves about it! We serve it up with garlic bread and a fresh salad for a complete meal in no time at all!
This delicious dish is sponsored by Walmart and SheKnows Media.
This easy pesto pasta sauce rivals any meal you’ll enjoy at a 5 star Italian restaurant, without the hassle or cost!
Weeknight dinners are always busy around here. With soccer practices, homework, laundry, and grocery shopping, I need meals that taste amazing without a lot of fuss.
We actually eat a lot of pasta dishes (like Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine) because they are great for my daughter before her sports… and easy for me to get on the table!
This recipe starts with Sam’s Choice Italia spaghetti from Walmart and it’s perfect in a rich creamy pesto sauce. This spaghetti has an authentic taste which is no surprise as it’s created from an old family recipe right in Italy and imported especially for Walmart! This pasta is bronze cut meaning your sauce will stick loading every bite with creamy cheesy pesto sauce!
We all love pasta, especially with a delicious pesto sauce! If you’ve never had it, you might be wondering exactly What is Pesto?
Aside from being absolutely delicious on just about anything, pesto is a very flavorful sauce that is popular in Italy. It is made by combining fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and rich cheeses (like parmesan & pecorino) until smooth. Pesto is most often enjoyed in various pasta dishes (like this amazing one ;) ), or spread on pizzas or even grilled meat! I sometimes spread it over cream cheese or brie with sundried tomatoes for the perfect appetizer!
The real star of this dish is the Creamy Pesto Sauce. This pesto sauce recipe is incredibly easy to make with real cream, fresh parmesan cheese and Sam’s Choice Italia Basil Pesto. Like all of the Sam’s Choice Italia products, this pesto is hand-crafted in Italy and available at Walmart.
How to Make Creamy Pesto Sauce
To make this pesto sauce, I start with a little bit of flour/butter to give the sauce just the right consistency. Next I stir in a little bit of broth and some fresh cream and cook until bubbly. Remove your sauce from the heat and stir in your parmesan and pesto. You’ll get an amazing rich pesto flavor as the Sam’s Choice Italia Basil Pesto is actually made with ingredients from Italian farms and you can really taste the difference. Finally toss with your hot spaghetti and voila!
Keep in mind both cheese and pesto should be heated but not boiled as they can separate. It’s best to add these after removing your sauce from the heat (or to turn the heat down to very low).
When draining your pasta for this recipe you’ll want to collect some of the starchy pasta water to use in your sauce. I usually scoop a cup or so out just before draining. When draining your pasta, make sure not to rinse your spaghetti as you want the starchy exterior so the pesto sauce will stick to the spaghetti.
I quickly fry up some cubed chicken breast to add to this pesto pasta recipe but if you prefer, Walmart carries everything you need for this meal including rotisserie chicken to make it extra quick. You can also make this Pesto Pasta with shrimp if you prefer.
We serve this with Homemade Garlic Butter and fresh bread to sop up any bits of pesto cream sauce in our bowls! The entire meal is ready in under 30 minutes, and trust me when I say that your family will love this one!
Creamy Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 chicken breasts about 1 lb, diced into ½ inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- ½ heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces Sam’s Choice Italia Spaghetti about ⅔ package
- ½ cup Sam’s Choice Italia Basil Pesto
Garnish (optional)
- Basil
- Parmesan Cheese
- Pine Nuts
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- In a pan, heat olive oil. Season chicken with dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to and cook until no pink remains, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan add the butter and flour. Stir until smooth and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream and half and half. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat, and stir in parmesan cheese and pesto.
- Add cooked pasta to the pesto sauce and toss. Add additional pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Garnish with basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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I am excited to have partnered with Walmart & SheKnows Media to bring you this pesto pasta recipe. While I was compensated, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Working with great brands I love allows me to keep bringing you the great recipes you love!
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Loved this! I needed some green in it so I added a bag of steam-in-bag broccoli (which I steamed for a shorter time), and some spinach. The spinach was added while the cream sauce was simmering, and the broccoli was added the same time as the pasta. My husband loved it and my ridiculously picky 3 year old liked it (after I separated pasta, veggies, and chicken).
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.
This was delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome Aisha!
Oh. My. Girl… You knocked it out of the park with this recipe! This is a keeper for our house from tonight forward. It was so rich and creamy. I followed your recipe but had to get a couple of different brands. I used Filippo Berio Classic Pesto (product of Italy) and I did buy spaghetti imported from Italy.
My husband had two huge servings with some nice crusty bread!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I just found your site over the weekend and have so many other recipes that I’ll try out soon.
So glad you and your husband loved this recipe (and that you found me)! Crusty bread is my weakness
Look so good and creamy! Thank you for the recipe!! What a nice dish for dinner tomorrow.
Thank you!! Enjoy.
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING! I substituted fettuccini for the spaghetti but otherwise followed the recipe closely and we loved it! Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved this Shannon!
I’m usually not a big fan of pesto pasta, but you just got me! This pasta looks absolutely delicious and so comforting! Perfect for a hearty dinner!
That looks really delicious, you can’t beat pest pasta for a quick and simple meal!
I love pesto pasta. Yours looks so lovely and creamy, can’t wait to try your version.
We love it too!
That is clever starting with a roux. I can imagine the silkiness of the sauce. I’m saving this to try later, this looks like a great back-pocket recipe. Thanks for sharing this!
You’re welcome Tina! Enjoy!
Pasta is a weeknight staple for us too! It really is the easiest way to get an impressive meal on the table in minutes. I love pesto and this looks incredible!
Thanks Ann, I agree… such an great quick meal!
All your dishes are very delicious, enticing, and stimulating to the eyes as much as it is finally registered to any taste bud.
Thank you Mario!