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    Home » Pasta » Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce

    Published: Apr 19, 2015 · Modified: Jan 30, 2021 by Sharee · This post may contain affiliate links

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    This Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce is one of the quickest meals I make when I meal plan for the week.  Takes no time at all to make!

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce on top of the dumplings looking extra delicious

    Easy, Simple, effortless…..  My vocabulary of choice.  And used quite frequently with the words cooking, food, and eating when I speak.  I take a jar of my favorite pesto sauce and turn it into something fancy with adding just a few extra ingredients.

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce served on a dish in a big white plate with fresh ingredients blurred in the background

    Don’t be alarmed! You can take your homemade recipe and make this quick creamy pesto recipe if you’re totally against the jar stuff.  It just takes a few extra minutes if you make your pesto homemade.

    Kirkland Basil Pesto in a little jar

    But for anyone that has not tried, doesn’t want to try, or just wants the quickest route possible – this is the Jar Pesto I like to use from Costco.  I also like to use the one that Sam’s Club carries.  

    No where near these two stores?  Then, grab your go to favorite pesto at your local store or market.

    Mixing cream with some pesto & additional spices

    And after purchasing my pesto, this is pretty much all I do right here – mix a little cream with some pesto & additional spices.  

    And to up the level of fancy on this dish, I sometimes add grilled sliced chicken breast, sauteed shrimp, and sliced cherry tomatoes.  (But when I am in rush, I just top the creamy pesto with crumbled bacon, and shredded Parmesan cheese.)  

    The possibilities are endless when it comes to add-ons  for this pesto sauce.

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce on top of the dish topped with crumbled bacon and shredded Parmesan cheese

    No matter what additional toppings you use, you still get creamy pesto with garlic in every bite!

    TIPS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

    • Use baking spray or olive oil in place of the bacon grease to brown the chicken.
    • If I mix the pasta and sauce together before serving, I like to double this sauce to have additional garnish sauce.
    • Add grilled sliced chicken breast, sauteed shrimp and sliced cherry tomatoes to up the level of fancy.

    ENJOYING THIS Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce? YOU WILL LOVE THESE, TOO:

    • Greek Chicken Skewers with Pesto Sauce
    • Chipotle Chicken and White Queso Cheese Sauce
    • Brazilian Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
    • Shrimp and Roasted Tomato Pasta with Garlic Wine Sauce
    • Pasta with Asiago Cream Sauce

    Tastes Lovely has a 15-minute pesto sauce recipe, too!

    MADE THIS RECIPE? 

    ♥♥♥ Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below to let me know if you enjoyed it. And follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more delicious inspiration! ♥♥♥

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce on top of the dumplings looking extra delicious

    Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce

    This Quick Creamy Pesto Sauce is one of the quickest meals I make when I meal plan for the week.  Takes no time at all to make!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 -4.5 cups
    Calories: 590kcal
    Author: Sharee

    Ingredients

    • Ingredients for Sauce Only:
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 garlic clove (minced)
    • 1 & ¾ cups prepared pesto sauce
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
    • Pinch of crushed red pepper
    • Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional for garnish)
    • Additional salt and pepper
    • Ingredients if you would like to add chicken , bacon, shrimp, and tomatoes:
    • 8 slices of bacon (optional)
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast (optional)
    • 1 garlic clove (minced)
    • 1 & ¾ cups prepared pesto sauce
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
    • Pinch of crushed red pepper
    • One pound of large shrimp (peeled, cleaned, dried) (optional)
    • ½ pint grape tomatoes (cut in half) (optional)
    • Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional for garnish)
    • Additional salt and pepper

    Instructions

    • Instructions To Make Just the Creamy Pesto Sauce:
    • Add about a 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a medium or large pan.
    • Once the olive oil has heated, add the chopped garlic and cook the garlic for a few seconds. Then, add the pesto, heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon of garlic salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the frying pan.
    • Cook this sauce on medium heat for about five to ten minutes. Salt the pesto sauce to taste.
    • Serve the pesto sauce over cooked pasta.
    • Instructions if you would like to add chicken, shrimp, and tomatoes:
    • Season each side of the chicken breasts with the additional salt and pepper, set the chicken breast aside.
    • Cook the bacon in a large frying pan. Once the bacon is cooked, place the bacon on a plate covered with paper towel to drain the grease off the bacon. After the bacon is drained, crumble the bacon.
    • Remove the bacon grease from the frying pan and set aside, making sure to leave about one tablespoon of bacon grease in the frying pan. Add the seasoned chicken breast to the frying pan and cook the chicken breast on medium high heat until the chicken breasts are done. (Note: while cooking the chicken breast, add the additional reserved bacon grease as needed to cook the chicken breasts.) Set the cooked chicken breast aside until ready to use.
    • Wipe out the pan after cooking the chicken breasts, and add about a teaspoon of the reserved bacon grease to the pan and heat the grease on medium heat.
    • Once the grease has heated, add the chopped garlic and cook the garlic for a few seconds. Then, add the pesto, heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon of garlic salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the frying pan.
    • Cook this sauce on medium heat for about five to ten minutes. Salt the pesto sauce to taste. Add the shrimp to the pesto sauce and cook the shrimp for about three minutes or until the shrimp are fully cooked.
    • Slice the chicken breast while the shrimp are cooking.
    • Remove pan from heat source. At this point you can stir the diced tomatoes into the pesto sauce.
    • Serve the pesto sauce over cooked pasta.
    • Top the sauce with the sliced chicken breast, crumbled bacon, and optional Parmesan cheese.

    Notes

    Healthy Tip:
    • Use baking spray or olive oil in place of the bacon grease to brown the chicken.
    Tasty Tip:
    • If I mix the pasta and sauce together before serving, I like to double this sauce to have additional garnish sauce.
    General Tip:
    • Add grilled sliced chicken breast, sauteed shrimp and sliced cherry tomatoes to up the level of fancy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 648mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2276IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg

    Please note that I am not a nutritionist, and the nutritional information is an estimate only. It varies based on the products and brands used.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Follow @savoryspicerack and tag #savoryspicerack!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Helena

      January 03, 2021 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      There are so many dishes I could use this pesto with. Yum!

      Reply
    2. Lori

      November 18, 2015 at 7:00 pm

      I like the pesto that Aldi has. Love adding cream too!

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        November 18, 2015 at 7:07 pm

        Oh my I have to check out the pesto at Aldi’s! Thanks for sharing! Yes cream is so delicious with pesto!

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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