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Creamy Pesto Pasta

Serves 6 - 8

Salads & Sides

Saucy

Crowd Pleasers

Quick Dinners

Pasta

Quick & easy dinner or lunch for a crowd.

You can use store bought pesto or easily make sundried tomato pesto yourself (click for recipe)

 

Prep time - 10 minutes

Cooking time - 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 500g dried pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 500g bacon, rind removed & diced
  • 500g chicken breast, finely diced
  • 375g sundried tomato pesto, store bought
  • 600ml light cream
  • 1½ cups reserved pasta water
  • ½ cup shallots (scallions), finely diced
  • Salt & pepper,  to taste

Garnish with

½ cup fresh parmesan 

¼ cup extra shallots, diced

 

 

Cooking Steps

1

Cook pasta in salted water (about a tablespoon of salt) and drain pasta, reserving 1½ cups pasta water.  

2

Add olive oil to a large pan and heat. Add bacon and cook until lightly crisp. 

3

Next add chicken to bacon and cook until lightly golden.

4

To this, add pesto and stir for a minute or so, followed by the cream, simmer for about a minutes. 

5

Next add the pasta water and simmer for about 5 more minutes. 

6

Add diced shallots and pasta and simmer for about another 2 minutes. 

Garnish with fresh, grated parmesan and cracked pepper ... enjoy!