Easy Weeknight Dinners for Summer: The Pesto Pasta My Family Asks for on Repeat
It's almost summer in Nashville, which means it's already unreasonably hot and I have zero interest in standing over a stove for an hour. This is the dinner I make when the heat wins, and my son asks for it by name.
Twenty minutes. One pan. He ate two bowls.
It is already hot in Nashville. Not "oh it's warming up" hot. Like, we skipped the pleasant part and went straight to standing-in-the-driveway-at-7pm-questioning-your-life-choices hot.
This is the time of year when I start leaning hard on the handful of dinners that come together fast, don't heat up the whole kitchen, and actually get eaten without complaint. That last part matters the most.
The one my son asks for by name is pesto pasta. It takes about 20 minutes. It involves one jar, one bag, and a pan I'd marry if that were legal.
Here's how I make it.
The whole ingredient list, basically. Rao's pesto is non-negotiable. I've tried the others.
What You Need
Spaghetti noodles. A jar of Rao's pesto (I've tried others and I keep coming back to this one). Pre-cooked grilled chicken strips from Soules Kitchen (find them at Costco. They come in a double bag). A small handful of pine nuts. Shredded mozzarella or parmesan, whatever's in the fridge.
That's it.
That's the whole list.
Is this a mom dinner, or what?
How It Comes Together
Boil the noodles. While they're cooking, toast your pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat. Stay close — I burned mine last week because I walked away for what felt like thirty seconds, and toasted pine nuts go from perfect to tragic faster than you think. I do mine in my Our Place pan, which I use for approximately everything and have no intention of stopping.
Stay close. I'm serious. These go from perfect to burnt in the time it takes to answer one text.
While the pine nuts are toasting, heat the chicken strips according to the package. Drain the pasta using the Our Place built-in strainer — genuinely one of my favorite things about these pots — then toss with a generous spoonful (or three) of Rao's pesto right in the pot. Add the chicken. Top with the toasted pine nuts and whatever cheese you've got.
Done. Twenty minutes, one pot of boiling water, one pan.
The Version My Son Actually Ate
I'll tell you what really happened the first time I made this last week. I made it with the Soules Kitchen chicken, served it for dinner, and my son decided that particular night he did not want the chicken and systematically pulled every piece out and set it on his napkin. He proceeded to slurp down every pasta noodle and pine nut he could find. Fine.
This is the version without the chicken. He still cleaned the bowl.
The next night I had leftover crispy garlic chicken thighs from earlier in the week (a separate dinner, one of my husband's favorites that I'll write up soon because it deserves its own post) and I chopped those up and used them instead. He ate two bowls.
So. Both versions work. Use what you have.
Why This Is a Summer Staple
I have a whole rotation of dinners like this. Meals that aren't completely from scratch but aren't just ripping open a bag either. You're doing something: you're toasting the pine nuts, you're building the flavor, you're making it yours.
But you're not making it hard.
When it's this hot outside and the sports schedule is crazy, that detail matters.
Caprese salad with good tomatoes from the produce stand. Coconut shrimp with sweet potato fries. Taco night with premade meat and whatever's in the fridge. These aren't cheating. These are how real people feed their families in the summer.
I get my produce from a stand down the street from us here in Nashville. They source from Amish country in southern Tennessee ( the same area where we have a farm) so the strawberries this week were genuinely good. The kind you eat standing over the sink before they ever make it to a bowl.
Summer produce. Fast dinners. A pan that doesn't stick.
That's where I am right now. And the crispy garlic chicken thighs that saved dinner the next night deserve their own post entirely. Coming soon.
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The Recipe
Easy Pesto Pasta with Toasted Pine Nuts Prep: 5 min | Cook: 20 min | Serves: 4
Ingredients
Spaghetti noodles (1 lb)
1 jar Rao's basil pesto
1 bag Soules Kitchen pre-cooked grilled chicken strips (or leftover chicken, chopped)
¼ cup pine nuts
Shredded mozzarella or parmesan to top
Instructions
Boil and drain noodles.
Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat. Stay close — 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pull them the second they're golden.
Heat chicken strips according to package.
Toss drained pasta with pesto right in the pot. Start with a generous spoonful and add more to taste.
Add chicken. Top with toasted pine nuts and cheese.
That's it. Twenty minutes, one pan, no drama.
Exactly What I Used for this dish
Rao’s Basil Pesto - the only one I keep coming back to.
Our Place Pots and Pans - I use this for everything. The drain feature alone is worth it.
Soules Kitchen Grilled Chicken Strips - Costco, double bag, grab two.
saga
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