Easy Pesto Recipe

Looking for a quick and breezy way to whip up a tasty and versatile sauce? You definitely found it! My easy pesto recipe will have your taste buds dancing with joy. Trust me, I've been a home cook for over 30 years, and this pesto recipe is a winner.

In this article, we'll show you how to make this easy pesto recipe that's so much better than store-bought pesto, and we'll share some tips and ideas for using it in a variety of dishes. Let's get started!

Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe (Easy and Delicious)

As a seasoned cook, I know the value of quick and easy recipes that don't compromise on flavor. That's why this Baked Pesto Chicken is a winner. It's a breeze to make, taking only minutes to prepare, making it an ideal option for those hectic evenings when time is of the essence.

What truly makes this dish exceptional is how well the flavors work together. The juicy chicken, savory pesto, sweet grape tomatoes, and melty mozzarella cheese create a tasty medley that everyone will love. It's a taste experience that will have you coming back for seconds and maybe even thirds.

Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe (Quick And Easy)

Get ready to indulge in a bowl of pure comfort and happiness with our creamy pesto pasta recipe! This mouth-watering dish features tender pasta smothered in a silky sauce that combines the savory flavors of fresh basil, pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese.

It's like a hug in a bowl! And the best part? This recipe is super easy to make, so you don't have to be a master chef to whip up a delicious meal that will impress your taste buds. So what are you waiting for? Get your ingredients ready, and let's create some pasta magic!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is a delicious blend of flavors and super easy to make! 

Homemade pesto is a truly beautiful thing. Basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil with a bit of salt - gotta have salt - all mashed together in delicious harmony. It's glorious!! I could eat pesto on just about anything! 

Now, you can buy pesto ready to go, but why do that? It's quick and easy to make homemade and tastes a million times better than what you get in a jar! It freezes well too! Seriously! If you haven't made fresh pesto, you are missing out!! and we can't have that!

I had some basil I needed to use up before it went south on me, so I whipped up some pesto and decided to make some sort of chicken pesto pasta dish, but....

Poached Cod with Pesto Wine Sauce

Poached Cod with Pesto Wine Sauce and green beans is the easiest recipe you're not making but definitely should be. In addition to cooking in one skillet and on the table in just 15 minutes from start to finish, this recipe is also good for you and packs a big flavor punch!

Pesto Chicken and Vegetables

Pesto Chicken and Vegetables is a super easy recipe made all in one dish, so clean-up is a breeze. Easy prep, easy clean-up, and tastes great too! This chicken recipe is a favorite go-to family dinner in our house.

Spinach Pesto Chicken

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-11-25

Spinach Pesto Chicken - you'd think that name is pretty self-explanatory, right? Think again!

What the name doesn't tell you is how unbelievably easy this beautiful dish is to make, nor does it explain how you can serve this to company and they'll be super impressed with your culinary skills! 

You can't tell from the name that this chicken cooks all-in-one pan and is ready in under an hour! Doesn't get much better than that?! Right? OOOOOh, but it does...

I saved the best for last! This lovely entree has a  beautiful secret! CHEESE! Yes! As if spinach and basil pesto isn't enough to make this chicken fabulous, we go ahead and top it with glorious Parmesan cheese, and that makes everyone happy! This is a real crowd pleaser, and will be making regular visits to my dinner table :)

Pesto Burger Recipe

My Pesto Burger Recipe is bursting with the classic flavor combination of basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese all atop a juicy grilled burger. Oh my yumminess! It is so good, y'all!

Grilled Turkey Sandwich

Repurpose leftover roasted turkey from your Thanksgiving feast by putting an Italian spin on it. This Grilled Turkey Sandwich with pesto and sun dried tomatoes is a unique combination of flavors that work together to make one tasty grilled cheese sandwich.

Ore-Ida Pesto Chicken and Potato Patties

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-28

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh....wanna hear a secret? Ore-Ida Pesto Chicken and Potato Patties makes a quick, satisfying meal! Your fam will think you worked way harder to get these on the table, but we'll just keep that between us! Go ahead, let them stand in awe of your amazing abilities! Who knows, maybe they'll pamper you with foot massages and let you control the remote and fight over who gets to do the dishes!! Okay, so that's not gonna happen in my house either, but why not take a happy break and dream a little :)

I have another secret... I've actually NEVER used frozen hash browns before, so I had no idea what to expect with this product. Don was not looking forward to it either, but guess what he took for lunch today? Yessireeee! He took leftovers! He got creative and made them into a sandwich! He's so clever...sometimes. I will definitely be making these again!

Easy Foil Packet Fish Recipe

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-05

Tilapia with Pesto Potatoes and Peas bakes quickly in this easy foil packet recipe! This recipe is so easy you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish!! It is so fast it will make heads spin and your family will be in awe of you!! Okay, so they probably won't even notice, but you can feel good about how fast and easy it is to put a flavorful and healthy meal on the table!

This one ranks high in my book for favorite fish recipes!! And that is saying a lot as I'm not a huge fan of fish, so I go for the very mild tasting tilapia nearly every time. I know what you're thinking... but you live in FL and you're a foodie - how can you NOT like fish?  I don't understand it either, but I can tell you it is NOT for lack of trying!! That being said you don't have to stick to tilapia for this recipe! Go ahead and make this with salmon but be sure to add a couple minutes to the cook time as needed.

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray
• 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, cleaned
• 6 teaspoons Homemade Basil Pesto
• 4 Tilapia filets
• Frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and heat a saucepan of water to boiling. Enough water to cover potatoes. You can do this on a grill as well! It's a great recipe for camping!
2. Slice the ends off of the potatoes and use your Food Processor to slice the potatoes. If you don't have a food processor, just go ahead and slice them thinly.
3. Salt the boiling water and blanch sliced potatoes for about 4 minutes. While potatoes are blanching, prepare 4 pieces of aluminum foil by spraying with cooking spray. Make sure the foil pieces are about 16" long.
4. Drain potatoes and run under cold water. Divide the potatoes evenly on the foil pieces fanning them out in the middle of the foil (see pictures below).
5. Top potatoes with 1.5 teaspoons of Homemade Basil Pesto each.
6. Season your fish with salt and pepper and divide evenly on top of potatoes. Top with a handful of frozen peas.
7. Bring the 2 cut sides of the foil together over the center of the fish and fold down 2 or 3 times. Fold in each side 2 or 3 times until you have a nice foil packet.
8. Place foil packets on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Carefully open the packets and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pesto Panini

You don't need a Panini Press to make this sandwich! If you have one, it helps make things easier, but if not, this can be made on your grill or in your grill pan, and it turns out delicious!  Save your pennies and eat your paninis at home instead of that expensive place with all the fancy smancy sammies. This tastes much better and costs less too! Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by allrecipes.com Tubby's Pesto Panini

Pesto Panini

Ingredients (makes 2)
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
salt to taste if desired (the Parmesan will add salt, so be sure to taste first)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons Creamy Italian Dressing
6 thick slices Italian Bread
1/2 cup lettuce
4 slices of your favorite cheese - I used American for the creaminess
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions
Preheat your grill pan to 350 degrees F (or prepare an outdoor grill)

Place 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper into blender or food processor. Blend on high until combined. Traditional Pesto has pine nuts, so add 'em if you got 'em!

Grill chicken until cooked through. About 5 minutes per side, but this will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken. The internal temp should be at least 160 degrees F. and juices should be clear. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes.

To assemble sandwiches, use 3 slices of bread per sandwich. For each sandwich butter the outside of 2 slices of bread. On the inside of one of those slices spoon 1 tablespoon of the Creamy Italian Dressing. Top the dressing with lettuce, a slice of cheese, and another slice of bread. Top that slice of bread with half the pesto mixture, a chicken breast, a slice of cheese, and the last piece of bread (buttered side out). Place sandwiches in hot grill pan and cover for about 3 minutes each side until desired doneness.

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-11-10

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto is a delicious side dish that pairs nicely with fish, steak, chicken, pork, or go vegetarian...anything really!

Have you tried Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto? OMgosh! Where has this stuff been all my life? It is so goooood! I seriously could eat a whole jar in one sitting! HA, who has time to sit?! I'd eat it... with a spoon... at the counter! No shame in that! It's good stuff!

This versatile side is super easy to make and a real crowd pleaser! My mom even likes it! You can use any vegetable your taste buds desire, and it's ready to eat in under 10 minutes! Yep, you heard me right (no need to clean out the old ears!)

Using Angel Hair Pasta is the key to saving time with this dish. The pasta cooks in about 3-4 minutes! You can't beat that! This goes nicely along side my Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce.

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-14

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage whips up in a jiffy! This dish gets its flavor from the Johnsonville Italian Sausage. It is sweet and spicy and satisfying! The flavors stick with you and help to curb any cravings all night long! I love that! Bonus - this makes a lot for a little, so you can feed the whole family for about $10!! Let me tell you what - you can't beat that with a stick!!

The gnocchi makes this a hearty dish so a little goes a long way, unless you're like my hubs and then you'll keep eating until you have to be rolled away from the table!! Poor guy - it's so tasty he couldn't help himself :)

Ingredients

• 2 (1 lb) packages gnocchi
• 1 package Johnsonsonville All Natural Sweet Italian ground sausage
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 medium red bell pepper diced
• 6 ounces pesto
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. After draining return them to the pot.
2. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over mid-high heat and saute the sugar snap peas and red peppers until tender to your liking. Toss into the pot with the gnocchi.
3. In the same skillet, cook the sausage until cooked through - about 8-10 minutes. Add the sausage to the pot with the veges and gnocchi.
4. Stir to combine the contents of the pot over mid-low heat. Combine 6 ounces of pesto with 1/2 cup of whipping cream and pour over gnocchi mixture. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Caprese Sandwich Recipe

My Caprese Sandwich is a simple recipe that is big on flavor! The softest, most delicious ciabatta roll topped with fresh basil pesto, tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled with balsamic glaze just might be my new favorite sandwich! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Easy Garlic Butter Sauce for Pasta in just 15 Minutes

Garlic is the star in this quick and easy Garlic Butter Sauce for Pasta!

Toss this sauce with your favorite pasta and enjoy simply with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or pair with grilled chicken or seafood for a flavorful side dish. This is the perfect recipe for busy weeknights.

Lemon Curd Parfait #SundaySupper

Lemon Curd Parfait is ridiculously easy to make! The sweet tangy goodness of the lemon curd mixed with the creamy Mascarpone cheese makes for a refreshing treat any time of the year, but we especially like it in the hot summer months, which is why I chose this recipe for this week's #SundaySupper.

Spicy Tuna Pasta Recipe

Spicy Tuna Pasta - is really easy and makes a light meal that tastes great any night of the week! It reheats nicely too!

I've had a different work schedule for several months, and it has been a challenge trying to make the new hours fit in with our lifestyle. I tried making meals on the weekend and eating leftovers all week, which left us with a lot of...well, leftovers. I don't know what we were eating, but it wasn't the leftovers!

Clearly that wasn't the answer! Then I came up with what I thought was truly genius! I prepped something during the day and Don did the cooking while I finished up at work! He did a fantastic job! That man can cook a steak like none other, and he learned how to roast chicken breasts to perfection! I was getting spoiled, but I could tell he wasn't into it quite as much as I. What a bummer! This girl could get used to being waited on every night! It was fun...while it lasted! 

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce is easy to make and oooh the lemon butter sauce is divine! If you don't tell the kids it's fish, you just might be able to get them to eat it! (I'm not making any promises though) You can even convert those adults who turn their nose up to fish! I know because I am one of THOSE haters! 

When it comes to fish, I'm like that guy Sam I Am pesters to eat the green eggs and ham! What was that character's name?? Anyone remember? I'm not even sure he had a name (narrator maybe?) Anyhoo, that's me! I do not like fish in a house, with a mouse, here or there, or anywhere!

Yep, anything 'fishy' would send me straight to the cupboard for PB&J (and I'm just a little ashamed to admit that). I don't remember how or why I tried Tilapia, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with 'the experts' saying fish is good for you and me wanting to eat like an "adult" or maybe I had a fever... Who knows? Either way, I tried it and surprised myself! I liked it!! I really liked it!! So if you know someone like me, do them a favor...make this and invite them for dinner! They'll LOVE you for it!! Of course, you might have to trick them into eating it...but once they get over that they'll thank you <3

Guacamole Cilantro Lime Cheeseburger

Guacamole Cilantro Lime Cheeseburger is an easy recipe using fresh ingredients to maximize flavor! A Mexican inspired burger perfect for a summer bbq, lunch, dinner, or even a pool party! Any excuse you can think of to eat this tasty burger!