Pasta with Pesto Alfredo Sauce

by Erin Hedrick

As the weekend comes to a close, I shed a single tear for my bank account.  I ate out with friends all weekend, and while this was delicious and great… Needless to say my bank account has seen better days.  Parker was in agreement so we decided to cook dinner tonight in an effort to save money and, naturally, couldn’t think of anything we wanted to eat in particular.  That was until we remembered this EPIC-AMAZING-LITERALLY-THE-BEST-IN-THE-ENTIRE-WORLD sauce that we’ve made a thousand times (not an exaggeration, trust me).  We didn’t know what to make beyond that, so we simply built a dish around that.  So my apologies in advance, this “recipe” isn’t so much a recipe as it is a list of  the foods purchased while walking through the grocery store that followed the phrase: “Ooh we should add this!” Pasta with Pesto Alfredo Sauce: Makes 4-5 servings (it’s an entire box of pasta – so on a good day it’s 4-5 servings. On a bad day… Well, maybe it’s just enough for you and some sappy romantic comedy.  I know carbs always manage to heal my heart). Side note: You can easily cook the pasta, the chicken/ham/peas, and the sauce at the same time assuming you have a big enough stove top.  That way everything is warm when you’re ready to eat!

Pasta with Pesto Alfredo Sauce: Serves 4

Pasta Ingredients:

  • One box of mini-shell pasta
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • 1 can of peas (**Le Sueur peas!” Parker was insistent on this because of a hilarious clip from Big Bang Theory. It’s from episode 10 of season 3, go watch it!)

Pasta Instructions (these couldn’t be more vague if I tried, sorry y’all):

  • Cook pasta according to box directions
  • Cut chicken breasts into cubes
  • Cook chicken breasts in a pan
  • Mix in diced ham
  • Mix in 1 can of peas
  • Stir together for 1-2 minutes (until ham is a little crispier)
  • Add chicken, ham, and LE SUEUR peas to the bowl of cooked pasta
  • Stir together and set aside

Pesto Alfredo Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto sauce (I recommend this one)
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 grated Parmesan

Pesto Alfredo Sauce Instructions

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat
  • Add garlic and pesto for 1 minute
  • Pour in heavy cream, raise to high heat, bring to boil
  • Reduce and let summer for 5 minutes
  • Add Parmesan cheese and stir until it melts
  • Add sauce to the pasta mixture and enjoy!
Now how easy was that?!  And I dare you to tell me that’s not one of the best pasta sauces you’ve ever tasted (and if you didn’t like it, you must have done it wrong, go try again, but with feeling this time!) This recipe can easily be done “One-Pot-Wonder” style – which a term my mother uses for “Pasta with whatever I can find in my fridge mixed with cheese” but use the sauce instead of the cheese.  Hope this quick, easy, and delicious pasta dish can make it onto your weekly menu for this week – You won’t regret it!  Happy eating, y’all.
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3 thoughts on “Pasta with Pesto Alfredo Sauce”

  1. If you make “One Pot” wonder, just add enough cheese to make the mix of ingredients to stick (that way the dish isn’t too rich tasting) and you can use whatever cheese is in the fridge! A great way to use stuff up in the fridge and to satisfy your pasta craving:)

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  3. Pingback: Thrifty Thursday: $2.76 Chicken, Chickpea, and Pesto Salad | Eating My Feelings

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