Back to school is here! Simplify and speed up your weeknight dinner routine with this one pot pasta dish featuring Barilla Pronto Pasta & Sauces.
One Pot Pasta
Caprese Chicken & Creamy Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti
Ah, September. Cool crisp morning air, smells of fall, the sound of school buses and in my house- chaos. Once school starts I hardly have a moment to breathe. My daughter is in 8th grade and involved in what feels like, every single activity possible at her school. Last year we were so busy I was rarely home to cook dinner. Drive-thru, fresh made sandwiches and even the occasional convenience store became routine. Not this year.
After a lot of begging and pleading family discussion we were able to organize a back to school routine that works for everyone and leaves me time to cook a real dinner at home. My husband will be picking Hannah up from cheering while I cook, but dinner has to be ready when they get home. That gives me less than 1 hour.
How Barilla Helps
I’ve always preferred Barilla products as our pasta and sauce choice. Barilla is an authentic Italian food brand that offers all natural, quality taste and variety. I often use their tomato sauces, but my favorite is the Barilla Pesto Sauce. The pesto sauce is a combination of Italian herbs that pack a major flavor punch. It can be used right from the jar on sandwiches and bagels or cooked into recipes. Barilla Pronto Pasta makes it east to create a variety of one pot pasta dishes in a short amount of time.
The Barilla Pesto Sauce is a small jar located on the top shelf.
One pot dishes are growing in popularity as more people realize how quickly you can create a full, hearty meal that serves a family in half the time. Barilla Pronto Pasta (voted Better Homes & Gardens Best New Product for 2016!) helps save even more time because there is no pre-boiling or draining required. Barilla Pronto Pasta uses less energy, less water and even comes in a versatile variety of cuts making it easy to use in any dinner recipe. Barilla Pronto Pasta uses the same wheat as in their traditional pasta and is still all natural and non-GMO.
My favorite one pot dish uses the Barilla Half-Cut Spaghetti and Pesto Sauce. The dish is loosely based off my chicken pesto mac and cheese. Instead of using multiple pans and finishing in the oven, this dish is ready in 40 minutes and uses one pan. It is the perfect combination of kid friendly and grown up taste!
The Recipe (full printable recipe card below):
One Pot Pasta- Caprese Chicken & Creamy Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti
Serves 4-6
- 1 jar Barilla Pesto Sauce
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Fresh mozzarella
- Italian blend seasoning
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Barilla Half-Cut Spaghetti
- Butter
- Flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic
- Milk
The chicken:
Place each chicken thigh between parchment paper, use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound thin.
Brush pesto sauce onto the chicken (to avoid cross contamination- add the sauce to a prep bowl, do not brush from the jar).
Top with a slice of tomato and mozzarella cheese.
Roll the chicken thighs, add to a heated skillet drizzled with Olive oil. Sear to brown, 3-5 minutes each side. Remove from pan and let rest.
The Pesto Parmesan sauce:
Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat, add garlic.
Stir in the flour until cooked out.
Whisk in milk, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Sauce will begin to thicken.
Add chicken, spaghetti and scoops of Barilla Pesto sauce.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Finish with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil!
This recipe is the only way I can get my daughter to eat tomatoes!
My Pesto Parmesan sauce can be used in so many different one pot dishes! Use your imagination and simplify your weeknight cooking routine with Barilla Pronto Pasta & Sauces.
Let us know what your favorite one pot dish is by commenting below!
Or, try one of Barilla’s recipes like this Creamy One Pan Broccoli Cheddar Penne.
One Pot Pasta- Caprese Chicken & Creamy Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti
This one pot dish is sure to wow your friends and family. Boneless skinless chicken stuffed with all the best of caprese!
Ingredients
- 1 jar Barilla Pesto Sauce
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 to mato, sliced
- Fresh mozzarella
- 1 teaspoon Italian blend seasoning
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- 6 ounces Barilla Half-Cut Spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
- 2 cups Milk
Instructions
- Place each chicken thigh between parchment paper, use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound thin.
- Brush pesto sauce onto the chicken (to avoid cross contamination- add the sauce to a prep bowl, do not brush from the jar).
- Top with a slice of tomato and mozzarella cheese.
- Roll the chicken thighs, add to a heated skillet drizzled with Olive oil.
- Sear to brown, 3-5 minutes each side.
- Remove from pan and let rest.
- Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat, add garlic.
- Stir in the flour until cooked out.
- Whisk in milk, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Sauce will begin to thicken
- Add chicken, spaghetti and scoops of Barilla Pesto sauce.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Finish with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250
Lori Pace says
Oh this looks so good! Thank you SO much for this idea! (client)
Jeanette says
That looks way better than what I was thinking of making tonight. I pulled out chicken and I was just going to do some on the grill but I think I may do this instead.
Kelly Hutchinson says
I am so loving the one pot idea! It makes things so much easier on school nights. This looks absolutely amazing!
Claudia Krusch says
Wow! It looks so delicious and fresh! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Stacie says
What a delicious looking dish. I love one pot meals. Makes cleanup so much easier.
Liz Mays says
I can’t even tell you how delicious that looks to me! I’m so excited to try this recipe and stat!
Ann Bacciaglia says
My family is going to love this recipe. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make it on the weekend.
Lisa Bristol says
I am always looking for one pot meal ideas. This looks so delicious and easy to make. I am excited to make it for dinner.
Winona says
This looks amazing -I cannot wait to try this recipe !
Kathy says
That looks amazing! I must try this out soon. I think it would be a great dinner to make next week. It looks so delicious!
Alicia says
This looks delicious! I love that it’s made in one pot- less dishes 🙂
Cathi Crismon says
Quick and easy and oh so good!! I’ve got to give Pesto Sauce a go. I bet it’s really good.
Nancy @ whispered inspirations says
Delicious recipe! My hubby loves pasta! He would so love this for lunch! Thanks for the recipe!
Aimee SMith says
Pinned this! Cant wait to try it! Looks so good!
Jonna says
One pot is my favorite!! I think I’ll try this one this weekend! Thanks!
Jocelyn Cañasa Brown says
Wow. That looks amazing. I think this would be a great recipe to make with my daughter over the long weekend.
Janis @MommyBlogExpert says
Wow, your dish looks so delicious and easy to make. I love the way you garnished it to add even more color to the plate.
Amy Desrosiers says
Ok, I am sold! This looks like such a great recipe that I want to recreate too!
Elizabeth Lampman says
No kid hungry is a great program. It is terrible that we have kids going hungry. This recipe is going to be a big hit.
Lena Burkut says
Man, those look exceptionally delicious
Autumn R Reo says
This looks so good and I can’t wait to make it at home. Looks easy and yummy!