This dinner takes under 20 minutes to make (start to finish!), packs a ton of protein and veggies, and tastes so good you’ll be counting down til leftovers the next day!

Fast, flavorful, and nutrient dense: basically the perfect weeknight meal!

This works great with rotisserie chicken or any pre-cooked chicken breast that you can just chop up and toss in. I added cooked grilled chicken to our last meat box order and it was perfect for making this extra fast. But I also love to grill up a bunch of meat at the start of the week just for meals like this! My weeknight self always thanks me.

Print Recipe

Easy High Protein Pesto Chicken Pasta with Veggies

This dinner takes under 20 minutes to make (start to finish!), packs a ton of protein and veggies, and tastes so good you'll be counting down til leftovers the next day!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 256kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 box chickpea pasta or other high protein pasta you love
  • 1 head broccoli or broccolini chopped into small florets
  • 6 oz pesto
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and chopped
  • 1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. During the last 3 minutes of cook time, add the broccoli florets to the pasta water so they can cook at the same time. Drain the water and leave the pasta & broccoli in the same large pot.
  • Set the stovetop to "medium low" heat and add the pesto and milk to the pot, stirring to coat the pasta and broccoli. Add the chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and seasonings (plus salt & pepper if you need) and stir to combine.
  • Heat until warmed through and serve! Enjoy!

Notes

  • Any milk will work in this recipe – whole milk, almond, oat, Nutpods, half & half, you name it.  You can even stick to bone broth if you just want a sauce consistency but aren’t worried about creaminess.  Sometimes I do a little of both!
  • Nutrition facts calculated using almond milk and sun dried tomatoes jarred in oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 715IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
Filed   one dish meals, poultry