Homemade Mac & Cheese is taken to the next level with a dollop of homemade basil pesto. Cheddar, Basil Pesto, and Greek Yogurt make this Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese absolutely delicious! And ready in less than 30 minutes!
Pasta is a love of mine. Who the heck doesn't love pasta?! A crazy person that's who. Sorry if you are that person, I just don't understand how you cannot be in love with pasta. A garlic olive oil sauce, a beautiful juicy tomato sauce or a rich cheesy cream sauce...how on earth can you go wrong? I'll take all of the above!
My favorite Italian restaurant around where I live is Roman Cucina. On Tuesday nights there special is a creamy pesto and I freaking LOVE IT! It is that good. They also have a delicious tiramisu, oh and they have seasonal cheesecakes- lemon, Oreo, cookie dough, pumpkin..oh how I love all of them!
Well, last week I made some homemade basil pesto, so easy and delicious, and for dinner, I had to make a creamy pesto sauce. The problem was I was craving mac and cheese so I kind of combined the two. Awesome choice, if I do say so myself. I also made a cheesy cream sauce with no heavy cream! I used 2% milk and greek yogurt! I was quite proud of myself because the Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese still tasted rich. ( I am on a #fitlife kick right now, let's see how long that lasts! LOL)
This is the Basil Pesto Recipe I used in the pasta. You could also try my Easy Walnut Pesto Recipe.
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Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: pasta
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: Italian/ American
Description
Homemade Mac & Cheese is taken to the next level with a dollop of homemade basil pesto. Cheddar, Basil Pesto, and Greek Yogurt make this Chicken Pesto Mac & Cheese absolutely delicious! And ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 2 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 ½ cup milk (I used 2%)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese/ parmesan
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
Instructions
- Cook elbow macaroni according to box instructions, set aside.
- In a large skillet cook chicken breasts in a little olive oil over medium heat, cook until no pink remains and chicken breasts are fully cooked.
- Take chicken breasts out of the pan and add butter and flour. Whisk flour and butter for two minutes, so the two are fully combined. Mix in salt, pepper, and milk once combined let simmer for two minutes. Whisk in cheddar cheese then add pesto and greek yogurt. Mix in chicken and pasta, let cook for two minutes. Serve immediately, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Keywords: dinner, pasta, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, pesto, chicken,
Ashley says
Yup, I definitely love pasta as well! It's just so good!!
This looks awesome - LOVE that you used greek yogurt to help make it creamy!
Liz says
Oh, wow! Why have I never added pesto to my mac and cheese? Brilliant! And the addition of chicken would make my hubby happy, too. A winner of a recipe!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
mmmmmmmmmmmm! I love pasta too....and mac n cheese....and pesto....HOORAY!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu says
Oh delicious! I love pesto - this is a fantastic way to jazz up mac and cheese!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
I love love pesto pasta! This mac and cheese looks so creamy! Yum!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
Delicious! Absolute comfort food!
[email protected] says
Oh how I love this Mac & cheese!! I must try this out soon! 🙂
Roger says
Wow this pesto chicken recipe SLAPS! so bomb!
★★★★★