creamy chicken pesto pasta with roasted vegetables
Creamy chicken pesto pasta with roasted vegetables is a quick, healthy pasta recipe that’s perfect for easy family dinners. This chicken and pesto pasta combines tender chicken, sweet roasted veg, and a rich pesto sauce for a flavour‑packed dinner meal. It’s a simple pesto pasta recipe that delivers big comfort with fresh, wholesome ingredients
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Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 150 grams baby plum tomatoes
- 1 courgette
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 red onion
- 40 grams pine nuts
- 3 tablespoon pesto
- 3 tablespoon creme fraiche
- 400 grams pasta (100g per adult)
- 2 chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Spread the pine nuts on a tray and toast for 5–8 minutes until golden. Set aside for later.
- Chop the courgette, red onion, peppers, and tomatoes into bite‑sized pieces. Toss with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the veg on a baking tray and roast for 25–30 minutes, until softened and lightly caramelised.
- While the veg roasts, put a large pan of salted water on the hob and bring it to the boil.
- Chop the chicken breasts into bite‑sized pieces and cook in a pan with a little oil until golden and cooked through.
- Whilst the chicken and veg is cooking add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it but reserve a cup of pasta water. Return the pasta to the pan.
- Stir in the pesto and crème fraîche, loosening with a splash of pasta water until creamy and well coated.
- Spoon the creamy pesto pasta into bowls. Top with the cooked chicken, roasted vegetables, and toasted pine nuts — or mix everything together in the pan for a big, hearty toss‑through.
Notes
- Toast the pine nuts properly — those 5–8 minutes in the oven make them sweet, nutty, and miles better than raw. They’re the tiny detail that makes the whole bowl taste more expensive than it is.
- Cut the veg evenly — similar‑sized pieces roast at the same speed, giving you soft, caramelised edges.
- Roast at 180°C for flavour, not speed — this gentler heat lets the veg soften and sweeten without scorching. Perfect for a pasta dish where you want tenderness, not char.
- Salt your pasta water like you mean it — this is your only chance to season the pasta itself.
- Chicken cooks best in a hot pan — give it space and let it get a little golden. Colour = flavour, and it stops the chicken tasting like it was boiled in sadness.
- Save that pasta water — it’s liquid gold. A splash helps the pesto and crème fraîche cling to the pasta instead of sitting in a sad puddle at the bottom of the pan.
- Mix or top — both work — stirring everything together gives you a big, creamy, green‑speckled bowl of comfort. Topping keeps the chicken and veg looking neat and colourful. Choose your chaos level.
- Leftovers are elite — this pasta reheats beautifully with a splash of water. It’s the kind of lunch that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together, even if you absolutely do not.