It Ain’t Easy Being Green – Unless You’re This Pasta

This pasta is jam-packed with many of the best greens you can add to a dish – zucchini, artichoke, and pesto. The result is a dish of bright-green deliciousness perfect for a weeknight meal, my zucchini artichoke and chicken pesto pasta topped with ricotta cheese. It’s herby, it’s a celebration of fresh summer zucchinis, and is all balanced out with a few creamy dollops of ricotta cheese.

This summer, we planted a basil plant on our back patio and it has been thriving.  Between the rain and warm weather we’ve had over the last few months, it’s been growing like crazy and looks so healthy. Which only means, loads and loads of fresh basil and pesto dishes at our house.  This dish came to be when I was thinking of ways to use up a bunch of our basil as the season ends, so we don’t waste any of this beautiful plant.  I’m a sucker for a monochromatic moment, so added in a couple of green vegetables to pair nicely with the green in the pesto, added a protein to make it a complete meal, and topped with some delicious ricotta cheese for fun bursts of sweet, cheesy flavor.  The result is a celebration of the end of summer on a pasta plate.

Tips For Making This Recipe

If you plan on making this zucchini chicken pasta, here are a few tips to make it extra delicious:

• If you are using a thicker pesto, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water once it’s done boiling to help thin out the dish if desired.
• When boiling pasta, the key is to salt your water.  If you were to taste the water, it should obviously taste salty! This adds tons of flavor to the pasta, but not necessarily salty. It will help take your dish to the next level.
• If in a rush, feel free to use leftover chicken breasts and in place of cooking chicken fresh. Add the chicken to the pan with the artichokes and sauce to help heat it through.

Recipe Details

This recipe is packed with everything you could want in one meal, and comes together in about 30 minutes. It has your protein, grains, greens, and herbs in a singular dish, great for eaters of all types!

To start, you’ll first cook thinly sliced chicken breasts, until no pink is left. Thinly slicing the chicken will help speed up the cooking process, getting dinner on the table even faster! To the same pan, you’ll saute some lightly seasoned zucchini then add roughly chopped marinated artichokes (the ones from the jar), with a bit of crushed red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and loads of pesto. Once heated through, you’ll add back in the chicken and toss to coat it with the pesto.

Once your pasta has boiled, add it to the same pan to coat with the pesto sauce and incorporate the veggies and chicken. Let it stay over the low heat for another minute or two to allow the sauce to soak into the pasta and then divide it among 4 pasta bowls. Add a few small dollops of ricotta cheese to each plate, a small drizzle of olive oil, some fresh basil leaves, and an additional sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Serve right away and enjoy!  Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a splash of water (about a teaspoon) and warm in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove.

If you like the sound of this zucchini artichoke pasta  recipe, you should also check out these pesto recipes::

• Lemony Kale Pesto
• Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lemony Kale Pesto
• Veggie Pesto Pizza

Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Zucchini Artichoke Chicken Pasta with Pesto and Ricotta

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Boiled, Simmered Cuisine: Italian Courses: Pasta

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 10 mins Total Time 10 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Summer

Description

A perfectly pesto pasta with zucchini, artichoke, and chicken to round it out as a complete meal. Subtle lemon flavors brighten this dish up and a bit of ricotta adds a few sweet, creamy bites.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
• ¹⁄₂ cup marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
• 1 cup pesto
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil, for garnish
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Once warmed, add the thinly sliced chicken breast to the pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and then brown the chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

2. To the same pan, add the thinly sliced zucchini, season with a small amount of salt and pepper, and saute until lightly softened, about 3 minutes.

3. To the pan, add the roughly chopped artichoke, the zest of one lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the pesto.  Turn the heat down to low and stir to combine.  Let the sauce warm through.

4. Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions in salty water.  Drain and set aside.

5. To the pan with pesto, add the chicken breast and coat with the sauce.  Add the pasta to the pan and stir to coat in pesto and thoroughly mix the ingredients together.  Let cook for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to sink in.

6. Divide the pasta among 4 plates. Garnish with a few small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if desired.

7. Serve immediately and enjoy!