Pesto Alfredo Pasta

Pesto Alfredo Pasta is my favorite way to use up all the jars of homemade pesto I have frozen from my garden.  Just thaw one little green jar of pesto, mix with cream and top with chicken and Parmesan! A simple pasta night is ready in 30 minutes! 

Why We Love It!

• It's Perfect for Gardeners! - I love growing basil in the garden and every summer I make lots of little jars of pesto to freezer for the winter. This Pesto Alfredo Pasta is one of my favorite ways to use it! It's a simple weeknight dinner with lots of summer flavor, just 5 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!

• It's a Fast and Easy Pasta! - A jar of frozen pesto is so handy! Just thaw overnight in the fridge, combined with heavy cream, the Alfredo pesto sauce can be made in the time it takes to boil the pasta. It's a great basic pasta for variations too! We love it with chicken, but try it with shrimp, Italian sausage or just keep it vegetarian with extra sautéed veggies.  

• If you Love Freezer Pesto, try it on my BLT's with Pesto Aioli or use it as a sauce for a Homemade Pizza Night and your summer pesto comes back to life!

How to Make Pesto for your Freezer

If you don't already have jars of pesto in your freezer, this is the basic recipe. Process all ingredients in a food processor, drizzling in the olive oil and water last. Store in half pint jars, about ¾ cup each, and freeze extra jars.

Homemade Pesto Recipe

• ¼ cup pine nuts (best if toasted in a dry pan, don’t burn!)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 cups garden greens including some or all basil, or any combination of Swiss chard, kale, spinach, or arugula – washed and tough stems removed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 grinds fresh black pepper
• ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 juice of a lemon
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup water

In the summer, I plant a whole pack of basil seeds in a window box. It grows a ton, because I know summer basil won't be around for long!  But if summer gardening is over, don't worry!  Pesto doesn't need to be made out of all basil.  In the winter you could go broke buying those little packets of basil for $3 each to get enough for a batch of pesto.

In the winter, I would make pesto with 1 packet of basil and then stretch it with other greens like spinach, arugula, kale, Swiss chard, or any combination of them.  It's delicious, healthy, and you can stock your freezer with those little green jars!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Penne Pasta - Use any short pasta such as ziti, rigatoni, rotini or even a long pasta like fettuccine. You can also make a gluten free pesto pasta dish by substituting a gluten free pasta. The Alfredo Pesto Sauce is naturally gluten free.

• Chicken Breast - I like to use about 1 pound, which is two thin chicken breasts. Thin works best because a quick saute will cook them through. If your chicken breast is larger, you can either slice it into 2 thinner pieces when it's raw, or just plan to sear it on the stove top and then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking through. You could also use grilled chicken for this pesto pasta or really cook the chicken in any way.

• Homemade Pesto - Pesto is a classic Italian uncooked sauce made with fresh ingredients and bright flavor. It's great to make a large batch in the summer with extras for the freezer. Thaw a jar of summer pesto overnight in the fridge before making this recipe. If you don't have frozen pesto, you can make it fresh following the recipe above.

• Cream - Heavy cream is all that's needed to make this basic Alfredo pesto sauce. Alfredo is simple reduced cream, usually flavored with butter, garlic and parmesan. Here you are simple flavoring it with the pesto. The cream sauce only needs to cook a few minutes until it is just starting to reduce. You don't want to cook away that fresh bright flavor of the pesto!

• Parmesan cheese - There is already Parmesan cheese in the pesto, but a bit more gives your Alfredo pesto pasta a creamy rich and delicious flavor! I like to used a vegetable peeler to get big strips and then crumble them into the pasta. Shredded or grated Parmesan is also fine.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Cook the Pasta - Set water to boil (add a pinch of salt before adding pasta) and cook pasta according to package instructions (11 minutes). BEFORE draining, scoop out a cup of the starchy cooking water (a coffee cup works great for this!) and reserve until the sauce is ready. The starchy water can be used to thin the sauce.

Step 2 - Cook the Chicken - Meanwhile, preheat a large saute pan or Dutch oven pot (large enough to toss the pasta) over medium high heat. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Add oil to the hot pan and sear the chicken, about 7 to 8 minutes per side. Check that the internal temperature is 165° with a thermometer. If your chicken is thicker, you may need to sear it on the stovetop and then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking through. When chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board to rest.

Step 3 - Make the Sauce - In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium low and whisk together the cream and pesto to warm through and thicken slightly as the pasta is finishing.

Step 4 - Put it all Together - Toss the drained pasta well with the sauce, adding in a bit of the starchy pasta water to reach the desired consistency. Add half the Parmesan cheese to the sauce and serve the pasta topped (or mixed in) with sliced chicken and more Parmesan.

Tips

• Make Sure to Completely Cook your Chicken Through - This may seem obvious, but chicken breasts can really vary in size these days! The thin chicken breasts I used in this recipe took about 7 minutes per side, but with chicken, you can't trust a timer! It's best to use a thermometer and check that the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken is 165°. If your chicken is thicker, it may be best to sear it on the stove and then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking it through. The chicken can also be grilled. No matter how you cook it, just make sure it's done. Then let it rest a few minutes on a cutting board before slicing so the juices can redistribute.

• Pesto Alfredo Pasta Variations - This basic Alfredo sauce with pesto is a simple cream sauce that lends itself well to creative variations! Chicken is the protein of choice, but shrimp or Italian sausage would be great alternatives. These can be cooked in the skillet first before making the sauce, or cooked separately on an outdoor grill, in a cast iron skillet, baked in the oven. You could also make this creamy pesto pasta recipe vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and bumping up the veggies. Start by sautéing veggies like zucchini, red bell pepper, or broccoli in a bit of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper before adding the cream and pesto to make the sauce. You can also throw in quick cooking vegetables like frozen peas, cherry tomatoes or a big handful of spinach. You could also substitute fresh tortellini or ravioli with pesto cream sauce. 

• What to Do with Frozen Pesto - Now that you have your freezer stocked with fresh homemade pesto, your frozen jars are handy for lots of easy meals! Pesto makes a delicious spread on sandwiches like deli turkey and cheese, BLT's, or grilled chicken on Ciabatta with melty Provolone.  Use it as a pizza sauce or for quick flatbread pizzas for lunch. Spoon it over grilled chicken, steak, shrimp or fish.  Use it as a dip for garlic bread, or other appetizers like skewered tomato and fresh mozzarella dipped in pesto. It's so versatile, and pasta night is always my favorite!

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