Slow Cooker Alfredo Pesto Chicken and Pasta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between pesto and alfredo sauce? ›

Pesto sauce is constructed using parmesan cheese, salt, basil, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts. It has a pretty high sodium content unless you make it from scratch, but both versions have an added protein boost. Alfredo sauce is based on cream and cheese as its two primary ingredients.

The best side dishes to serve with pesto pasta are mushroom risotto, steamed vegetables, sauteed vegetables, tempeh, beef and broccoli, teriyaki salmon, eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, cheese curds, arugula salad, bread rolls and white beans and bacon.

Pasta With Pesto Sauce, Noodles (1 cup) contains 27.8g total carbs, 25.8g net carbs, 25.3g fat, 11.1g protein, and 377 calories.

When it comes to pairing wine with pesto, we favour dry, crisp, and acidic white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, or Sauvignon Blanc. If you prefer red wine, then we'd recommend something light-bodied like Beaujolais, Dolcetto, or Pinot Noir.

The Bottom Line. Pesto is higher in calories than some sauces but it's also made with super-healthy ingredients, like basil, olive oil and nuts. I find it's a great way to add more flavor to pasta dishes and even vegetables and proteins.

The healthiest pasta sauces get most of their fat from olive oil (marinara) or olive oil and nuts (pesto), not cream or cheese (alfredo). And the good guys don't pile too much salt or sugar on top of your spaghetti.

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

Pesto goes amazingly well with grilled steak, pork chops, chicken, and even fish, so you don't have to worry about spicing or marinating your meat. You can also season meatloaf or meatballs with pesto.

That's largely down to the fact that most pesto sauces contain generous amounts of oil, nuts, and cheese. All three of these are high in fat and calories, so eating too much pesto, too regularly, and not getting enough exercise can ultimately be fattening.

What is the highest calorie pesto? ›

Daylesford Organic tops our list of high-calorie pestos with a staggering 654 calories per 100g.

An average serving size of two eggs contains only 148 calories or 620 kilojoules – roughly the same as two apples.

"I'd go for a margarita, because I like the herbaceous taste of tequila with herb-based sauces," says Willoughby. "A basil-lime gimlet gives you the clean tastes of gin and lime along with a direct match for the basil in the pesto. Just don't have more than one, or you won't be tasting too much at all."

Mixed Pesto Sauce Dishes

Recipes that include pesto blended into creamy, rich sauces play well with several wine categories. Depending on the prominent notes, anything from a sturdy Sauvignon Blanc to a fruity Malbec can work well.

Basil Vodka Smash: A Basil Vodka Smash, made with vodka, fresh basil, lemon juice, and simple syrup, is an excellent choice for pairing with pasta dishes featuring fresh herbs, pesto, or light olive oil-based sauces. The herbal notes in the co*cktail complement the flavors in the pasta.

Pesto is a sauce made of crushed basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. It is usually used as a condiment or spread, and is not typically used as a sauce for pasta. Pasta sauce is a sauce made from tomatoes, herbs, and other ingredients used to coat pasta.

Carbonara is usually thinner in consistency than alfredo sauce, using the egg to coat the noodles instead of relying on the cream. Both sauces are cream-based and contain large quantities of shredded cheese to make them rich and decadent.

The traditional pesto is the Genovese, made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. However, there's no reason that you can't make substitutions. For instance, if I don't have basil, I often substitute fresh Italian parsley, or cilantro. I've even substituted Pecorino cheese for the parmesan.

While basil is the traditional herb used in pesto, there are numerous alternative pesto recipes that use different greens or herbs as the base. Some popular alternatives include spinach, arugula, cilantro, parsley, and even kale.