Best 9 Creamy Pesto Sauce Recipes

PHENOMENAL CHICKEN AND PASTA IN CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place basil, garlic, Parmesan, pine nuts, and tomato in a food processor. Gradually add olive oil, while pulsing, until mixture is smooth and creamy.
• In a bowl, stir together chicken broth, 1 cup white wine, dried basil, oregano, and minced garlic. Stir in chicken pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and sprinkle with sugar. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and marinade. Stir in 1/2 cup white wine. Simmer chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
• Add pasta and pesto to the skillet. Stir in cream, and cook until the sauce is thickened. Adjust salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

CREAMY CILANTRO PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Blend cilantro leaves, cream cheese, artichoke hearts, green onions, basil, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and salt in a blender until smooth.

ONE PAN PASTA WITH CREAMY SHRIMP AND PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a 4- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 3 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, 7 to 12 minutes. Drain and return to pan.
• Add shrimp, pesto, cream, broth, and dried tomatoes to pasta; stir over medium heat until hot and evenly incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

PENNE WITH CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still slightly firm, about 11 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook and stir broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and 1/2 cup pine nuts until the broccoli and asparagus are tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir in flour and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk until thoroughly combined, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer sauce, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and whisk in prepared pesto. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Pour pesto sauce into skillet with broccoli mixture; gently stir in penne pasta until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pine nuts to serve.

GNOCCHI WITH ASPARAGUS & OLIVES IN A CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bread Crumb Topping -- Make this first and then just set it off to the side. In a small dry saute pan, add the breadcrumbs and bring to medium high heat. You just want to toast them and they don't take long so keep an eye on them. Make sure to keep stirring them. You could easily make your own bread crumbs for this, but I used store bought Italian seasoned bread crumbs which saved some time. Once the bread crumbs are toasted and golden brown, transfer to a small bowl and mix with the olive oil and parmesan cheese.
• Vegetables -- In a large pot of salted boiling water (on a medium boil), add the asparagus and cook until tender. About 3-5 minutes. It depends on how thick your asparagus is. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to set the color and to stop the cooking. It just needs a minute in the water, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to dry.
• Gnocchi -- Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain well and return to the pot (keep the heat on medium / medium low.
• Finish -- Add the cream, pesto, olives, and onions to the gnocchi and cook another 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through. Check for seasoning and add any additional salt or pepper if needed. Then add in the asparagus, lemon zest and toss lightly.
• Serve -- Transfer to a serving platter and top with the toasted bread crumbs and a scoop of the ricotta cheese. Garnish with the lemon slices from the half of lemon you did not zest. ENJOY!
• Add a fresh cucumber and tomato salad for a nice simple side dish.

CREAMY WALNUT PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the cheese into 1cm cubes and chop finely in your food processor.
• Add walnuts, garlic, salt and basil and chop until you have a rough paste.
• Slowly add olive oil to the running food processor until the paste starts to form a ball.
• Add yogurt to the food processor and pulse until thoroughly mixed.
• Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate for one hour to allow the flavours to mingle.

CREAMY ARUGULA PESTO PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, mince the garlic. Add the pine nuts, arugula, parsley and olive oil to the bowl and purée for about 30 seconds or until well minced. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and purée just until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup (250 mL) of sauce, enough to coat 1 lb (500 g) of pasta.

PASTA WITH CREAMY AVOCADO "PESTO" SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Sauce: Remove avocado from skin and place in a small bowl. Mash with a fork until fairly smooth - it doesn't have to be perfect. Stir in lime juice, mayonnaise, onion, almonds, salt and pepper. Blend well.
• 2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• 3. Drain and return to pot. Drizzle with melted butter. Mix to coat the pasta then serve up each individual portion.
• 4. Spoon on a generous dollop of avocado sauce and gently mix. (The heat from the pasta will "melt" the sauce much like any other pesto), sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy.

CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the basil leaves and cook until tender and bright green, 2 to 5 minutes. Drain basil, reserving 2 tablespoons of the basil water.
• Blend basil, 2 tablespoons basil water, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, butter, and garlic in a blender until smooth and creamy.