>U Mom Knows Best: Pesto
Showing posts with label Pesto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pesto. Show all posts

Quick & Easy Healthy Meals With Barilla Pesto

When you don't have much time to cook dinner, check out these quick and easy meals. 

 I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links

 Now that the kids are back in school and most parents are back to work, getting a healthy meal on the table can be a challenge. Throw in sports and other outside activities and who has time to cook dinner? So like most families, you order a pizza or head to the drive-thru at the fast-food place. Well, we all know that take-out food is not good for our health but we have hungry kids and no time to cook. 

What most people don't realize is that you can whip a healthy meal in less time than it takes to wait in the food pick-up line. The key is having the food ingredients in your pantry and in your refrigerator. By stocking your pantry with a couple of healthy ingredients, you can easily make a healthy meal for your family. The best part of cooking healthy meals at home is the amount of money you will save. These healthy meal suggestions will take less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. 

Keep reading to discover a recipe for sun-dried tomato, pesto chicken pasta, along with other meal inspiration ideas.

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is the start to delicious meals

 One of my go-to quick and easy healthy meals is pasta. Pasta is so easy to cook. Just boil some water and add the box of dried pasta. The first healthy meal that my teen boys learned to cook was pasta. So I always have plenty of boxes of pasta and jars of pasta sauce in my pantry. That way my boys can help make dinner.  

  When most people think of pasta, they tend to think of spaghetti with tomato sauce. While this is a delicious way to eat a box of pasta, that can get quite boring after a while. It is time to change your thinking about pasta. Discover how you can turn that box of pasta into a flavorful meal that your family will enjoy. Just add some additional ingredients to the cooked pasta for a quick delicious meal.

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is a versatile product that can be used in a variety of ways & does not need to be heated before using

 I discovered a flavor-packed, versatile, and convenient pantry staple that turns an ordinary pot of cooked pasta into a wonderful Italian meal. Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is a pantry staple that you need to have in your kitchen. This delicious jar of pesto is the start of many delicious quick and easy meals. You need to keep this yummy pesto in your pantry. It is a staple for quick and easy meals.

Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is:

• Flavor-packed, versatile, and a convenient pantry staple that satisfies cravings for Italian food.

• Imported from Parma, Italy, it’s made with fragrant Italian basil and freshly grated Italian cheese.

• Creamy, smooth and has a savory taste, making it ideal for stirring into pasta and grains, spreading on

sandwiches, marinating meats and vegetables, or using in a dip.

• Is made in a way that preserves the natural color of basil and the fresh aroma of Italian Cheese.

• A little goes a long way; one 6.2-ounce jar of pesto mixes well with 16 ounces of pasta.

• Is available to purchase at Target, Publix, Stop & Shop, Meijer, ShopRite, Hy-Vee, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and more.

Many delicious ways to use Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto

While my favorite way to use Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is stirred into hot cooked pasta, my husband enjoys using this flavorful sauce in many other ways. My husband enjoys spreading the Barilla pesto on sandwiches ~ his favorite sandwich combo is turkey, provolone, and Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto. The creamy Barilla pesto is a great flavorful replacement for mayonnaise.

 My husband is the one who enjoys eating the jar of Barilla Genovese Pesto as I can't eat dairy products. So  I keep a jar of this pesto in the fridge for him to use in his favorite recipes. The Genovese Pesto goes great on my Sun-Dried Tomato & Artichoke Pizza recipe. For a quick and easy pizza. Buy a premade pizza crust, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and a jar of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto. I like to make my own homemade oven-roasted sun-dried tomatoes and store them in the fridge for quick meals. These sun-dried tomatoes are also great to add to cooked pasta along with a full jar of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto and cooked chicken pieces. Keep reading for the full recipe for Creamy sun-dried tomato, pesto chicken pasta.

 Other delicious ways to enjoy the Barilla creamy pesto are mixed into cooked veggies, stirred into your favorite dip, and in a bruschetta recipe. If you love the taste of tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese, then you are going to love this jar of pesto. Just slice up a large tomato, spread on the Barilla pesto, and top it with a thick slice of mozzarella cheese. For extra flavor, drizzle balsamic vinegar over the cheese. 

 When you cook with Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto, there is no need to add additional spices as this pesto is loaded with flavor. Along with plenty of fresh basil, Barilla adds garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. Cooking with Barilla pesto and Barilla pasta makes making dinner so much simpler, especially on those busy nights.

Creamy Pesto Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Makes 8 servings

1 box of Barilla pasta, any variety will work. I like using rotini shaped pasta

1  6.2-ounce jar Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto

3 ounces sliced sun-dried tomatoes 

4 pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts, sliced into large pieces

Cook the pasta following the instructions on the box. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water. While the cooked pasta is still hot, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and sliced chicken pieces.

Tip:  To save even more time in the kitchen, buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and slice it up to replace the grilled chicken breasts. If you prefer, you can make this recipe with your favorite gluten-free pasta

For recipe inspiration, please visit barilla.com 

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest & save this recipe for later 









Plant-based Pesto Sauce Made From Peas

This delicious creamy pesto is made with plant-based ingredients. Spread it on a pizza or stir it into pasta for a delicious plant-based pasta dish. The pesto sauce will add great flavor to your meals.


 If you love the taste of pesto but follow a plant-based diet, then you are going to love this vegan recipe. Most people do not realize that traditional pesto is made with parmesan cheese, and that is an ingredient that is made from milk. This plant-based pesto recipe does not contain any parmesan and is 100% dairy-free. This recipe for pesto sauce is also made without nuts, so those with a nut allergy can enjoy it.

This is a vegan pesto that is made from peas and other delicious ingredients. The scrumptious pesto has a taste that is similar to regular pesto and it can be used in all your favorite plant-based recipes. From spreading on French bread for a delicious appetizer to stirring in pasta, you are going to love this pesto sauce.

This pesto is
+ Vegan
+ Plant-Based
+ Nut-Free
+ Creamy
+ Full of Flavor
+ Made with peas
+ Delicious
+ Easy to make
+ Gluten-Free
+ Dairy-Free
+ Soy-Free
+ Paleo


Looking for a Vegan, Plant-Based Parmesan Alternative?

If you love the taste of parmesan cheese but don't eat dairy, you need to know about a delicious vegan substitute for parmesan cheese. This plant-based parmesan alternative tastes just like real parmesan cheese but it contains no milk products. It is made from 100% plant-based ingredients.

The plant-based parmesan substitute that you need to know about is nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is healthy vegan parmesan with a cheesy taste. This plant-based product can be used in all your recipes for a delicious cheese taste. Nutritional yeast is also loaded with b vitamins and is also gluten-free, soy-free, keto-friendly, paleo, and kosher. 

Ingredients Needed For Plant-based Pesto Sauce
~ Peas
~ Fresh Basil
~ Lemon Juice
~ Nutritional Yeast
~ Flax Seeds
~ Garlic
~ Salt
~ Olive Oil


Dairy-free is delicious


  I discovered a recipe for a dairy-free pesto sauce in a magazine. I was hesitant to make it as the main ingredient was peas. I am not a fan of peas but I had a frozen bag of peas in my freezer from my son's dental surgery. Frozen peas make a great ice pack. 

 So I decided to try the recipe and I was glad that I did. This pea pesto was so good! I loved how easy this dairy-free pesto sauce was to make in my blender. I was amazed that this pesto recipe did not taste like peas. The fresh basil gave it good flavor and the flax seeds gave the pesto spread a nutty taste.



Ways To Use The Pesto Dip
~ Spread on French bread and add sun-dried tomatoes for a wonderful appetizer
~ Stir the pesto sauce into cooked pasta for a delicious pasta dish
~ Spread the Pesto on pizza instead of tomato sauce
~ Serve as a dip with crackers and vegetables
~ Use as a sandwich spread


Storage Tips
 
Store the pesto sauce in the fridge in a container with a tight lid. This sauce will keep for a week. I don't recommend freezing the pesto. If you have extra fresh basil, place it in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to a year. The frozen basil can be used at a later time to make this pesto again.
 



Plant-Based Pesto Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups frozen Green Peas, thawed or use canned peas
1/3 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1- 2 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all pesto ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender.
2. Blend well on medium speed.
3. Add more water if needed until reaches a thick creamy texture.
4. If you desire a thinner texture, add more water.
5. Enjoy the pesto as a dip or on pizza. It also is great with pasta.

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