Weeknight Dinner: One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

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This One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta recipe has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OnePanPronto #CollectiveBias

2 weeks ago as I was completing my August calendar, I realized just how busy we will be this school year. Between work schedules, soccer, tennis and two of the three boys in school, it’s pretty clear we will be on-the-go more than ever.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta Recipe

No matter how much we have going on though, I make it a priority to have dinner as a family; together at the kitchen table.  The last couple of weeks, have already been crazy and I failed numerous times to have dinner on the table at our normal dinner time. Meal planning is helpful, but I have been slacking on that, too. Life happens you guys.

By the time I realize I haven’t prepped for dinner, it is too late to thaw meat or pull something together. Then I get frantic just trying to find a quick meal everyone will eat. This cannot happen anymore, especially with school starting next week.

I headed to Walmart over the weekend to grab school supplies, groceries and to have extra meals on hand when I have less than 30 minutes to get dinner on the table.

Barilla at Walmart

Pasta dishes are a weekly hit in my house. We normally have no less than 10 boxes in the pantry at a time. Barilla Pronto Pasta & Sauce has products that can create a variety of quick and easy meals for busy nights. Barilla Pronto Pasta is innovative and makes one pot pasta dishes possible, as there is no need to wait for the water to boil and no draining required.

For every box of Barilla® Pronto™ purchased at Walmart between 7/31/2016 and 10/31/2016, Barilla® will donate 10 meals to kids in need through No Kid Hungry, up to half-a-million meals.* Donating and helping kids in need is that easy!

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta Recipe

One of the dishes I added to our rotation is this One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta. Using the Barilla Pronto pasta, the whole dish takes 15 minutes!

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

 (scroll down towards end of article for printable recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta
  • 1 jar Barilla Pesto Sauce
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 2-3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Fresh spinach leaves

Barilla Pronto Penne Noodles - No Boil or draining required!!

Directions:

Pour the whole box of pasta into a large skillet. Pour 3 cups of cold water into the pan ensuring that the water covers the pasta.

Turn on high and add a bit of salt to taste.

Stirring occasionally, cook for about 10 minutes until most of the water is absorbed (may vary by stove).

Barilla Pesto Sauce

Add Barilla Pesto sauce, cooked chicken and bacon pieces.

Continue to stir and cook until desired sauce consistency and pasta texture are reached.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

If your kids don’t prefer tomatoes and spinach (like 2 of my 3 kids), serve them pasta at this point.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta Recipe

Add in a couple handfuls of spinach and a cup or so of cherry tomatoes.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

Stir and cook for an additional minute or two and serve.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta - Weeknight Dinner Idea

Quick, easy and on the table in 15 minutes. Plus only 1 dirty pan!

Click here for more Barilla Pronto recipe ideas, such as this Creamy One Pan Broccoli Cheddar Penne.

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta - 15 Minute Dinner Idea

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

15-minute weeknight dinner using Barilla Pronto Pasta noddles.

Ingredients

  • 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta*
  • 1 jar Barilla Pesto Sauce
  • 3 cups of water
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • 2-3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
  • ½ cup cooked bacon pieces
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Fresh spinach leaves

Instructions

  1. Pour the whole box of pasta into a large skillet. Pour 3 cups of cold water into the pan ensuring that the water covers the pasta.
  2. Turn on high and add a bit of salt to taste.
  3. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 10 minutes until most of the water is absorbed (may vary by stove).
  4. Add Barilla Pesto sauce, cooked chicken and bacon pieces.
  5. Continue to stir and cook until desired sauce consistency and pasta texture are reached.
  6. If your kids don’t prefer tomatoes and spinach (like 2 of my 3 kids), serve them pasta at this point.
  7. Add in a couple handfuls of spinach and a cup or so of cherry tomatoes.
  8. Stir and cook for an additional minute or two and serve.

Notes

*Don't have pronto pasta? You can still make this dish pretty quickly by making any pasta you have according to the package.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @NiftyMom on Instagram or @1NiftyMom on Facebook!

One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta - 15 Minute Dinner Idea

*$1.00 can provide a child 10 healthy meals. This amount is based on individual experiences of grant recipients. Contributions will be used to reach the highest number of children facing hunger in America. Share Our Strength is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

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4 comments on Weeknight Dinner: One-Pan Chicken & Bacon Pesto Pasta

  • Lori Pace

    What a beautiful recipe! Thanks so much for the great idea for a fast dinner!! (client)

  • Ashley S

    Wow! Talk about super delicious looking. I love that this is one pot too. Makes life so much easier when cooking dinner! Definitely going to have to try this recipe out some time.

  • Eric

    Please don’t call this a one pan recipe when two of the ingredients need to be cooked elsewhere (bacon and chicken).

    • Samantha (author)

      Thank you for commenting, however it is indeed one pan. I always have some packaged pre-cooked chicken and bacon pieces on hand to use for quick meals. Chicken can also be diced and cooked in the same pan before the noodles & water is added, if desired.

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