Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad makes a delicious meal or side dish that is ready to serve in minutes and is sure to please your family! This easy-to-make, tasty dish is the perfect way to enjoy all the flavors of a classic Italian dinner without all the fuss. You'll only need 5 ingredients to make this tasty recipe.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 298kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- ⅓ cup pesto sauce
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- chopped basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente. Drain and add the cooked pasta to a large bowl.
- Add pesto sauce to warm pasta and stir to coat. This will keep the noodles from sticking together.
- Add tomatoes, cooked chicken and cheese. Toss to combine ingredients.
- Serve at room temperature or refrigerate to serve. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.
Notes
If you can't resist tinkering with recipes like me, there are all sorts of ways you can mix up this recipe.
- pasta shapes - use rotini, bowtie or any other shape of pasta you can spear with a fork. I don't recommend going too small or too long, though.
- use a sprinkle of shredded parmesan for some added flavor
- add baby arugula or baby spinach while the pasta is still warm. It will wilt and add a pop of color and nutrition!
- make this lower carb by using chickpea pasta. Our kids actually love this and so do I!
Nutrition
Serving: 1grams | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g
