Spinach Pesto Linguine
This chicken builds linguine, fresh spinach leaves and toasted pine nuts into a hearty meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the linguine according to the package timing until al dente, reserving about a cup of the starchy cooking water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, make the pesto by combining the fresh spinach, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and a pinch of salt in a food processor, then drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running until you have a smooth, vivid green sauce; season with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper, then pan-sear them in a little oil over medium-high heat for about 6 to 7 minutes per side until golden and cooked through to an internal temperature of 74 C (165 F), then rest for 5 minutes and slice.
- Add the sugar snap peas to the pasta pot during the final 2 minutes of cooking so they blanch briefly and stay crisp-tender.
- Drain the linguine and peas, return them to the warm pot off the heat, and toss with the spinach pesto, loosening with splashes of the reserved pasta water until the sauce coats every strand silkily.
- Fold through the kalamata olives and most of the crumbled feta, then top each portion with the sliced chicken, the remaining feta and an extra grind of black pepper before serving.
You'll use: Pan Β· Large pot Β· Saucepan Β· Food processor
Ingredient substitutions
- Parmesan
- pecorino Β· grana padano Β· aged asiago
- Lemon
- lime Β· 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Spinach Pesto Linguine take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 6 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of parmesan?
Try pecorino. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Spinach Pesto Linguine is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Spinach linguine with pesto and artichokes (43178770351).jpg by Joey Doll, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.