This Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is the perfect option to help get away from boring traditional red sauce and instead find a creamy pesto pasta that is impossible to resist. This dish focuses on slices of chicken breasts atop perfect gluten free pasta and dusted with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's a fork of heaven every time.
Quick Look: Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍲 Serving: 5 Bowls
- ⚡ Calories: 841 calories per bowl
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: a sweet and creamy sauce with savory chicken bites mixed in
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, this won't be the last time you make this pasta
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From Marry Me Shrimp Pasta to Prawn Chorizo Pasta, I love sun dried tomatoes. They are known for their intense flavor and are often chewy, slightly sweet and pair perfectly with most pasta. Mix them with a pesto sauce and it's heaven on earth! I have loved them ever since my Italian grandfather taught me to cook. While his wife made big dinners, he had a chef's touch when it came to the artistic side of food. I swear he made dripping simple olive oil into a masterpiece, each and every time.
This pesto and sundried tomato pasta is also the perfect introduction to my viral pastas, often seen on Instagram and Facebook. Pasta with Pesto and Tuna is a fabulous option when in a crunch for time. If you have the night to yourself, Creamy Garlic Steak Pasta and Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta are two must try recipes.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with Gluten Free and Dairy Free Cookies or an extravagant Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate and Vanilla Cake.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: This pesto sun dried tomato pasta can be made with just a handful of ingredients helping you save money at the store.
- Easy to Make: This pot of pesto pasta sun dried tomatoes takes less than 30 minutes. A perfect option for busy weeknights.
- Amazing Flavor: The combination of pesto and sun dried tomatoes is a great way to add flavor to your table. You can add or reduce your level of heat with ease.
Ingredients
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
- Chicken: 2 large Springer Mountain Farms chicken breasts or any other chicken breast. I prefer Springer Mountain because they are antibiotic and hormone-free. They are also certified humane and do not use any animal by-products in their feed.
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto: I use sun a jar of tomato pesto to save time. It has great flavor and can be used in other dishes if you have leftover sauce.
- Pasta: I used gluten-free penne pasta. Any shape of your choosing will work well.
Flavor Variations
- Add In Extras: I love pasta with sun dried tomatoes and bacon. Mushrooms, broccoli, and peas are all great to make this easy pesto pasta loaded with flavor.
- Garnish: I love to add pine nuts, walnuts, and fresh basil on top of this sun dried tomato pesto pasta. Extra sun dried tomatoes is also a nice touch.
- Homemade Pesto: Nothing beats a homemade basil pesto sauce with garlic. If you have the time, and a food processor, it will definitely impress the best of them.
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"This is simple but loaded with flavor! I really love that it takes less than a half hour to get pasta this good onto the dinner table!!"
- Becca S.
How to Make Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Step 1. Cook the pasta in generously salted water for al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the water but leave some to the side. Dice the chicken into half an inch pieces. Place the chicken into a medium sized bowl and season it with the dry ingredients.
Step 2. In a large saute pan, on medium heat, add the olive oil. Then sauté the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Step 3. To the same pan, lower the heat to medium, add the diced purple onion. Allow this to cook until the onions become translucent. About three minutes. Then add the spinach.
Step 4. Continue to stir. Now, add the sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, and heavy cream and wait for it to slightly bubble. Around this time, it should begin to thicken. Once the sauce thickens, add in the Parmesan cheese and stir well.
Step 5. Once everything is combined and creamy, add back in the chicken and cooked pasta. If your sauce is too thick, at this point, you can add 2 tablespoons of pasta water at a time until your desired consistency has been met.
Step 6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use Lemon Juice: Using lemon juice will help the pesto keep its famous deep green color. The fresh citrus also helps create depth of flavors!
- Prep it Ahead of Time: Mix the chicken and the pesto in an air-tight container or baggie up to 8 hours ahead of cooking it. Keep refrigerated and bring to room temp before cooking.
- Cook to Al Dente: Make sure you do not overcook your pasta. This will cause it to get mushy once it is combined with the sauce.
Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta FAQ's
My Copycat Olive Garden Salad and Green Beans with Bacon and Onions are too easy to make options that help provide key vegetables into your meal.
Yes! Feta is an excellent topping for this pasta dish. The creamy texture of the cheese is a lovely compliment for the sharp finish of the tomatoes.
Yes, sun-dried tomatoes a have a low-glycemic index. Therefore, they are okay to eat in moderation when managing diabetes. Consult your doctor if you have questions about which foods are okay to eat.
Yes. You can use pasta with gluten as long as you do not have a gluten allergy!
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📖 Recipe
Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 Springer Mountain Farms chicken breasts diced small
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pesto Pasta
- 1 box gluten-free penne pasta any pasta shape is fine
- 6.7 oz jar of sun dried tomato pesto I used felippo berio
- ¼ purple onion diced small
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese
- Optional ½ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in generously salted water for al dente according to the package instructions.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, remove the pasta and reserve about half a cup of pasta water just in case your sauce is too thick at the end. This isn’t always used, but it is great to have on hand.
- Dice the chicken into half an inch pieces. Place the chicken into a medium sized bowl and season it with the dry ingredients: basil, garlic powder, salt, paprika.
- In a large saute pan, on medium high heat, add the olive oil. Then sauté the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, lower the heat to medium, add the diced purple onion. Allow this to cook until the onions become translucent. About three minutes. Then, add the spinach.
- Mix this really well then add the sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, and heavy cream. Continue to stir this until it begins to slightly bubble. Around this time, it should begin to thicken. Once the sauce thickens, add in the Parmesan cheese and stir well. Once everything is combined and creamy, add back in the chicken and cooked pasta. Serve and enjoy!
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