Tag Archives: pesto

Actifry Pesto Chicken & Potatoes


If you don’t know it by now, we love the Actifry at our house. We use this wonderful cooking gadget at the very least weekly. It is such a time saver. It can cook just about anything main dishes,sides, desserts, and snacks.

I appreciate using this device during weeknights for a quick easy dinner. Bonus easy clean up with essentialy a one pot meal. At the end of the meal, just throw everything in the dishwasher and call it an evening. 

We have so much Pesto, I have been adding it to everything. This recipe came to made on my way home from work. 

Prep time: 5 minutes  

Cooking time: 40-43 minutes

Servings: 2 large meals or 4 small

Ingredients:

2 ounces of prepared Pesto, divided

2 chicken breast, cubed into 1 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 medium potatoes (about 3 cups, cubed 1 inch pieces) (washed clean & not peeled)

Tools for the Job:

  • Actifry

Directions:

1. In either a ziplock bag or sealable container marinate the chicken breast ovennight with 1 ounce of Pesto.

2. When ready to prepare the dish,place the prepared potatoes with oil & remaining 1 ounce of Pesto in the actifry. Close the lid. Place the timer on 20 minutes. 

3. Add the chicken in the Actifry with the potatoes and place the timer on for another 20-23 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Pesto Crumbled Sausage Rotini Bake


We have an abundance of basil in the herb garden. I love making homemade pesto with it! 

This recipe is a great way to use up your basil before the nights get too cold and start to frost. 
You can also use store bought pesto if you don’t have basil in the garden or if you are pressed for time. 

Serving 4

Prep time: 15 minutes. 

Bake time: 20 minutes


Ingredients:
1/2 cup prepared pesto  

3 cups cooked rotini pasta (I use Dreamfields wheat pasta that cooks white)

1 cup cooked crumbled Italian sausage 

2 Tablespoon fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Cooking spray (divided)

8 by 8 baking dish

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package. 


Directions:
1. Place pesto, sausage, pasta, and a 1/2 cup of the Italian cheese in the empty pasta pasta pot (why use another bowl). Mix together the ingredients and place them in the 8 by 8 baking dish. 

2. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and place in the preheated oven at 360 degrees for 20 minutes. 

3. Remove from oven and enjoy with some garlic bread! 

  

Spring Pesto Pasta with Asparagus and Pine Nuts


If you are looking for a dinner that can be ready in 15 minutes than you have found the right recipe. Bonus you can make this entire dish in one pot! Whenever I’m in a hurry or in a pinch pasta is my go to for a quick and fast dinner. 

Asparagus is a spring vegetable packed with a lot of nutrition. Since this vegetable is in season right now you can get a pretty affordable deal at the market! I know our local farmers market has it fresh from the garden. 

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin K and also folate. Asparagus is also a good source of fiber. There are many colors of asparagus; however, the well know green asparagus is the most common variety, but you can also find white, & purple spears as well. 

Yields 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

2 cups dry rotini (I used dreamfields)

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz of pesto ( I used my freezer stock from last season)

1 pound of fresh asparagus ( 2 inch segments)

1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package. During the last minute of boiling add the cut asparagus. Strain the pasta and asparagus. 

2. Add the noodles and asparagus back into the pan and add the pesto, salt and pine nuts. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together and enjoy!

Classic Basil Pesto

  

Last year I was so jealous my sister had a beautiful bountiful basil plant. I had started it in a basket hanging basket for her for Mother’s Day but she took it out and planted it in her garden.  While mine remained in my basket hanger and barely grew a few inches. Her plant was beautiful! The first thing I taught her to make with her basil was pesto!! 
I learned my lesson this year I planted our basil plant in an herb garden. Wow this  year our basil plant is large and in charge, like my sister’s plant last year. I have made pesto a couple times this season. My husband loves it! So I thought I’d share the recipe this time. It is super simple. I plan on freezing some for the winter as well that is if it lasts.

It’s recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of fresh pesto

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh basil

1/2 cup of lightly toasted pinenuts

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of freshly grated Romano Locatelli D.O.C. cheese

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly grated Black pepper 

7 small fresh cloves of garlic (ours are small from our garden)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until pureed. 

2. Drizzle of olive oil while the food processor is pulsing.

3. Enjoy on some homemade bread or pasta!