Welcome to the sassy kitchen, where anything with carbs and cheese is always welcome. This pesto chicken bruschetta pasta checks off both of those boxes - but there are tomatoes so - balance!
It is scorpio season, which is birthday season for me! I was blessed with a new set of Le Creuset bakeware, and this was my inaugural dish. The dish was just screaming baked pasta.
No-Cook Sauce? It is Not Too Good to be True!
Now I am all for sauces that require cooking down and lots of simmering - trust me, I am! But sometimes, you have a pasta craving and zero desire to make an intense sauce with a number of ingredients. No-cook sauces are a great answer to this problem - bruschetta and pesto both being great options.
This pesto chicken bruschetta pasta is the solution to all your pasta dreams and desires! A quick bruschetta mix of tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar turn into a delicious sauce with the addition of pesto and a splash of cream. Topped with torn bocconcini mozzarella, now we're talking!
Substitutes for Bocconcini
If you don't have fresh bocconcini on hand, that's fine! Feel free to top this pasta bake off with some regular mozzarella, or any melty cheese you have on hand. I don't discriminate against cheese, and you shouldn't either, to be honest.
Pesto Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 roma tomatoes deseeded and diced
- 1 small shallot diced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 454 g rotini pasta
- 1 rotisserie chicken breast skin removed and diced
- ¼ cup half and half cream
- 2 tbsp pesto
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp red chilli flakes
- 10-12 bocconcini cheese balls torn
Instructions
- Boil pasta for 7-8 minutes.
- While the pasta is boiling, mix together tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large stainless steel skillet, saute chicken breast and bruschetta mix. Turn off heat once the chicken is heated through, and add the drained pasta.
- Add pesto, cream and pasta water, and combine.
- Transfer the pasta to a baking dish, and top with torn bocconcini.
- Broil on LO for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and brown.
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