Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Course: RecipeServings
4
servingsActive time
15
minutesTotal Time
25
minutesCost Per Meal/Person
$2.06
This pesto recipe is pretty standard; it was passed down to me from a friend’s mother years ago and we love it. This meal is incredibly easy, especially if you use rotisserie chicken! Serve it with salad on the side and you’ve got an easy, delicious dinner without much effort.
Notes about this recipe:
Pesto sauce also freezes well, so if you have a lot of basil to use up, make some extra pesto sauce and throw it in the freezer for another time!
Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (or from a rotisserie chicken)
3 cups fresh basil (about 30-40 leaves)
2/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
12 oz bowtie pasta
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions
- Mix everything besides chicken & pasta in food processor to make your pesto sauce. Set aside.
- Cook pasta as directed. When finished cooking, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, return to pot, stir in chicken and about 1 cup pesto sauce (not an exact amount – see how much you think you need). Add in some pasta water to loosen a little. Add more pesto sauce or pasta water as needed after mixing for a minute. Serve and enjoy!
Total Cost of Meal
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken= $3
12 oz pasta = $0.75
Basil= $2
Parmesan cheese, walnuts, garlic= $2.50
Total: $8.25