The beautiful thing about this time of year is how everyone carves out time for friends and family. Gone are the excuses that you have to be here or there and can’t make it to an event. The weeks between Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day offer so many opportunities to entertain. Whether you throw a big party, a small gathering of friends, or an open house, this Greek Yogurt Pesto Chicken Pasta is perfect to satisfy everyone’s palate. Made with Chobani® Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt this recipe comes together in under 30 minutes!
It’s hard to believe that a meal can be made so quickly, isn’t it?! With careful planning, you can create an amazing meal perfect for entertaining! Creamy sauces are my favorite, they are rich and flavorful. You can’t beat the delicious flavor of alfredo sauce, can you? The Texan is a huge fan of pesto sauce – we have it with pizza, on flatbreads, and over pasta. For this meal, I decided to take a risk and combine the two.
Yogurt + Pesto = Win
One of my favorite reasons for serving a pasta dish when entertaining is that it’s affordable and quick to prepare. For this pasta dish, I’m using ingredients that I cooked ahead of time or purchased at the store. Time is at a premium most days, and I don’t want to waste it.
While your pasta water is boiling, chop pre-cooked chicken and roasted red peppers into bite sized pieces and set aside. In another bowl, combine the store bought pesto – or some homemade if you have any on hand – and Chobani®. It is the perfect ingredient to pair with pesto sauce for this recipe. The non-fat Plain has 44% of the daily value for protein, which is 22% more of the daily value for protein than regular yogurt. I knew the yogurt would provide plenty of the creaminess that I desired without masking the pesto flavor that The Texan is so fond of.
These two mix together so simply and easily.
Drain the pasta. In a bowl, combine chicken, roasted red peppers, yogurt pesto sauce, and pasta.
Mix until the sauce covers the pasta and chicken well. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
You can whip up this easy dish and take to a friend’s pot luck, serve it chilled at a New Year’s Day brunch, or have it on a Tuesday night with family. It’s delicious warm or cold. I like it warm for dinner, or cold as a lunch side dish paired with a bowl of tomato soup. When serving it chilled, be sure to give it a few quick stirs before serving.
Ingredients
- 3 cups penne, uncooked
- 1 cup Chobani® Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups pesto sauce
- 1 cup cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- Fresh basil, optional (for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook penne according to package instructions.
- Chop cooked chicken and roasted red peppers into bite sized pieces.
- In small bowl, combine Chobani® Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt and pesto sauce, stirring to combine.
- In large bowl, mix cooked pasta, chicken, roasted red peppers, and yogurt pesto sauce.
- Garnish with basil leaf, optional.
- Serve warm or cover and refrigerate to serve cold.
When you purchase the 32-ounce container from Walmart like I did, you’ll have plenty left over for smoothies, snacking, and baking!
Be sure to check out more delicious recipes made with Chobani®. I’d love to hear about your favorite recipe to serve when entertaining.
Wow, what a great combination! I would never have thought that pesto and yogurt go together and you made it happen! This pasta dish looks amazing, and I would definitely eat it hot or cold!! #client
Cathy
This looks super yummy! I have done similar pasta sauces with pesto but never with Greek yogurt. Thanks for the awesome tip, I will be giving this a try this weekend!