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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

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    Penne with Creamy Pesto Sauce

    July 27, 2012 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 2 Comments

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    penne with creamy pesto sauce

    Love me some pesto…it’s one of my favorite summer flavors. Pesto. It’s such a beautiful and delectable sauce. It’s so fresh and tantalizing and, let’s face it, slightly addictive.

    It can be made inexpensively with herbs from the garden, but it can be expensive to buy in the store. So when I do buy a container, I like to stretch it out by thinning it with some milk or cream, and then tossing with pasta and Parmesan cheese. It makes for a perfect light summer lunch, or dinner when paired with some grilled chicken and veggies.

    In truth, I’ve been seen spooning it right out of the container, but generally I just spread it on plain crackers or a thin slice of bread. I love adding it to sandwiches, paninis and the inside of burgers. Making homemade pesto from the herbs in your garden can push the delicious factor up about 12 notches.

    This is a recipe for a simple, summer pasta salad at its best – pasta, pesto and parmesan!

    Enjoy!

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    Penne with Creamy Pesto Sauce

    Superb creamy pesto with pasta!
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time10 minutes
    Servings - 4 servings

    Ingredients 

    • 1 1/2 cup whole-wheat penne pasta (12 ounces)
    • 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • Shredded parmesan cheese
    • Fresh basil leaves for garnish

    Instructions

    • Boil the penne noodles for 7-8 min, drain and rinse with cool water.
    • In a mixing bowl, combine the pesto and milk. Toss with the cooled pasta. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

    What is your favorite summer pasta salad recipe?

    penne with creamy pesto sauce

    6 shares
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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Side Dish Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

    Comments

    1. Rose {Cake Recipes from Scratch} says

      July 28, 2012 at 5:46 am

      homemade pesto is definitely the best because it’s so simple to make and is so delicious… 🙂

      Reply
    2. Chrissy says

      August 4, 2016 at 9:56 am

      this was good. just added chicken since hubs can’t have a meal without the meat food group.

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

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