Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

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Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. The perfect “staying in is the new going out” date night dinner in!

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. The perfect "staying in is the new going out" date night dinner in! | A Wicked Whisk

Let’s talk about date nights! Big Scary Mike and I have been together for a l-o-n-g time, work two full time jobs, hustle together on two independent side jobs, raise four spoiled and entitled amazon dogs and STILL make time for date nights.  Taking time to forget about the outside world, even if it’s just for 45 minutes at a time, is so necessary for yourself and your relationship.  That date night with your honey also helps remind you why you still like that person you are sharing your life journey with, reconnects and revitalizes you both and most often times.. well, there’s appetizers … so, you know… there’s THAT too.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

But all that happy lovey dovey awesomeness aside, date nights can get pricey real quick (those appetizers aren’t FREE!), there’s coordinating schedules, finding a sitter, traffic, long wait lines, restarting your perfectly winged eyeliner for the 4th time …. the whole thing is PROCESS! So why not take 98% of the headache out of the equation and instead of fighting the world for a quiet romantic dinner, why not simply treat yourselves to a delicious date night IN! Grab those sexy purple leopard print yoga pants and throw on your favorite Johnny Cash t-shirt because we are bringing YUMMY and FANCY back with this easy, romantic dinner a.k.a. Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta bite

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT DATE NIGHT SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO PASTA?

Um … hello … everything is special about this date night pasta dish.  Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. And before you ask, sun-dried tomato pesto is actually just what it sounds like .. a robust easy peso sauce made with (da-da-dum) sun-dried tomatoes as the main ingredient. This Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is hearty, sexy, a bit spicy and super quick and easy to serve up to your main squeeze in under 30 minutes.  Yup, super sexy 30 minute date night pasta dinner with a side of spicy! Yeah buddy!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

WHAT ARE SUN-DRIED TOMATOES?

Sun dried tomatoes are just what their name states .. they are fresh tomatoes that lose the majority of their water content due to being treated and laid out to dry out in the sun. They are sold packed in oil or in a pouch and hold on to their nutritional content while concentrating their flavor. They are perfect for adding to pesto, sauces, salads, sandwiches and anything else you can think of.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta sun-dried tomatoes in oil

MODIFICATIONS, IF YOU PLEASE … 

  • Not a fan of chicken?  Substitute the chicken in this date night dish with shrimp, scallops or even fried tofu.
  • This dish is super versatile when it comes to picking the pasta. I found these amazing squirrely pasta noodles at my local farmers market but this dish would be perfect served up over fettuccine, spaghetti, bow tie pasta.. the possibilities are endless.
  • Can’t find pancetta at your local grocery store? Add in six slices of crispy cooked bacon or one of the pre-cooked bacon pouches.
  • This recipe calls for quite a bit of basil .. my local grocery store sells 3 leaves of basil for 6 million dollars .. try picking some up from your local farmers market, if possible.  I find you can purchase quite a bit at a fraction of the price you will pay for a package at a big name grocery store.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta squirrely pasta

HOW DO YOU MAKE DATE NIGHT SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO PASTA?

Easy! To make this Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, start by making your sun-dried tomato pesto.  Add garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, olive oil and spices to a small food processor and pulse until well combined but still a bit chunky.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta basil

Set aside. Next, add flour and dredge spices to a medium sized bowl and stir the ingredients together to combine.  Cut your chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and lightly dredge in the flour mixture, making sure all sides of your chicken are covered.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta dredge spice mix

Shake off any excess flour and move to a large plate to sit until all of your chicken has been coated and save your unused dredge flour.. you will need that later.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and once boiling, add in pasta and cook based on package instructions.  While you pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once your oil is heated, add the chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer and turning often, cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta cooked chicken

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.  Next, add in the pancetta to the skillet and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes, stirrying often. Once cooked, remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the grease from the pancetta in the skillet.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta pancetta

Add butter to the skillet and once butter has melted, add 4 tablespoons of the reserved unused dredge flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the heavy cream and bring to a low boil. Add in the parmesan cheese, spices and sun-dried tomato pesto and still well to combine. Once your pasta has cooked, drain and add to your pesto sauce, along with the chicken and pancetta.  Serve with crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta in a pan

Enjoy!

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. The perfect "staying in is the new going out" date night dinner in! | A Wicked Whisk

 

DATE NIGHT SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO PASTA

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. The perfect "staying in is the new going out" date night dinner in! | A Wicked Whisk
Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is the perfect romantic dinner of tender al dente pasta, spicy Cajun chicken, crispy pancetta all brought together in an easy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. The perfect "staying in is the new going out" date night dinner in!
Heather - A Wicked Whisk
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Serving Size 4

Ingredients

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

  • 10 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil .. do not drain the oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder or red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Cajun Chicken Dredge

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 teaspoon garlic powder

Date Night Pasta

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts .. cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
  • 10 Ounces Pasta, any shape
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces pancetta diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons reserved dredge flour
  • 8 ounces pinot grigio wine
  • 6 ounces heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • crusty bread .. optional but highly suggested

Instructions

  • To make this Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, start by making your sun-dried tomato pesto.  Add garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, olive oil and spices to a small food processor and pulse until well combined but still a bit chunky. Set aside. 
  • Next, add flour and dredge spices to a medium sized bowl and stir the ingredients together to combine. Cut your chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and lightly dredge in the flour mixture, making sure all sides of your chicken are covered. Shake off any excess flour and move to a large plate to sit until all of your chicken has been coated and save your unused dredge flour.. you will need that later. 
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and once boiling, add in pasta and cook based on package instructions. While you pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once your oil is heated, add the chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer and turning often, cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. 
  • Next, add in the pancetta to the skillet and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes, stirrying often. Once cooked, remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the grease from the pancetta in the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and once butter has melted, add 4 tablespoons of the reserved unused dredge flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the heavy cream and bring to a low boil. Add in the parmesan cheese, spices and sun-dried tomato pesto and still well to combine. Once your pasta has cooked, drain and add to your pesto sauce, along with the chicken and pancetta. Serve with crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Notes

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Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 603.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.4g | Protein: 44.7g | Fat: 36.7g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15.5g | Cholesterol: 135.7mg | Sodium: 2392.3mg | Potassium: 404.6mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 7.9g | Vitamin A: 1460IU | Vitamin C: 7.7mg | Calcium: 299mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta in a bowl

 

 

 

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    This was soooo good!!! I think next time I may scale back on the creole seasoning in the sauce so it’s less salty. But other than that – so so so delicious! Thank you!

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