One of the things I enjoyed most about working for a food publication—aside from the actual work itself—was the free samples of food products and bottles of wine. (I think I might miss the free wine more though.) One day we were gifted a box that included, among other things, multiple jars of a lemon pesto. I happen to love pesto, but it isn’t really one of those things that I make at home or have lying around my kitchen cabinets much. After a couple weeks of the pesto taking up room in my cupboard I decided it was time to put it to good use. This particular jar was a lemon flavored pesto, but I’m sure you could get the same effect by adding some lemon juice to regular pesto. This simple pasta recipe gets a flavor boost by the pesto and is a perfect one bowl concoction for any weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken breast, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- 1/2 lb. whole wheat penne (reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water)
- 2 Tbsps. lemon pesto (or regular pesto plus a squeeze of lemon juice)
- 1 lb. frozen peas
- 6 oz. finely grated romano cheese
- garlic powder
Procedure:
- In a plastic bag or large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add garlic cloves and toss in olive oil. Marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. Once it has come to a boil, season heavily with salt and cook pasta until al dente. (Remember to reserve some of the cooking liquid!)
- Preheat a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook chicken until done.
- Add cooked pasta, pasta water, pesto, and peas to the pan with the chicken. Stir in cheese to make a sauce. Adjust seasoning with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, as needed.
What are some of your favorite uses for pesto?
Chicken pasta is considered by many to be the best tasting snack in the market. It’s probably because they have added ingredients like cheese and lemon to help smooth out the taste.