This keto creamy pesto sauce is deliciously easy to make for a one pan dinner of chicken and zucchini noodles. This keto pesto sauce doesn’t use basil nor pine nuts so it’s much more affordable but still has all the flavor.
You might also like this low carb pesto tilapia recipe!
Pesto pasta sauce is one of my favorite recipes, however classic basil pesto uses lots of fresh basil and pine nuts which can be expensive and hard to get. So when I don’t have those ingredients I make this pesto with fresh spinach and walnuts!
Today I have for you a delicious and easy keto creamy pesto sauce that is perfect for a one pan dinner of chicken and zucchini noodles. This sauce is very versatile and great for keto recipes. You can use it on chicken, fish, vegetable noodles, cauliflower rice or just steamed veggies.
What is traditional pesto made of?
Homemade pesto that we know and love originated in Genoa Italy and traditionally is made from basil leaves, crushed garlic, pine nuts, salt, olive oil and a hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.(source)
However there are many variations these days and it basically comes down to using flavorful leaves, nuts, garlic, hard cheese and olive oil. People have even used sun dried tomatoes.
So that is why this combination of spinach and walnuts work to make an inexpensive and easy version of a traditional pesto recipe. We are just substituting the spinach for the basil and walnuts for the pine nuts.
Ingredients in my creamy pesto sauce.
First I made the pesto with spinach and walnuts. Then I made that into a creamy sauce.
So for the spinach pesto, I used fresh baby spinach, walnuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Once I made that in to a paste I made the creamy sauce by adding cream cheese, heavy cream, water salt and ground pepper.
How to make pesto without basil or pine nuts.
- To make the raw pesto without basil, add the fresh garlic and walnuts to a food processor bowl. Pulse until the garlic is minced.
- Next add in the fresh spinach and process until it’s finely chopped.
- Lastly add in the salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and parmesan cheese. Process to blend all of the ingredients together into a paste with bright green color. (see the first 3 pics below)
How to make the creamy pesto sauce.
I made this sauce with chicken bites and zucchini noodles but to just make the creamy pasta sauce this is how you make it.
- Make the spinach pesto as directed above.
- In a saute pan, add the cream cheese, heavy cream, water and all of the pesto paste.
- Whisk together as the cream cheese melts and bring it to a simmer. Then take it off the heat. That’s it. (scroll down for the full recipe card)
Making this creamy pesto chicken and zoodle keto dish.
All you need to make the keto chicken and pasta meal with the creamy sauce is to first make the pesto paste, then brown the chicken pieces in a little oil over medium heat.
Take out the browned chicken and use the pan to make the creamy sauce. Add back the chicken and mix with the sauce to coat it well. Cover and cook for 3 minutes over medium low heat. Then add in the zucchini noodles, cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
You could also just use cooked rotisserie chicken in this dish. After you make the creamy sauce, add in the zucchini noodles and cooked chicken, cover and cook for 2 minutes.Â
Recipe Tips and Notes
- To add more flavor to the pesto paste, you can toast the walnuts in a dry skillet first. Make sure to let them cool completely before adding to the food processor. Or try some lemon zest for a lemony flavor.Â
- If you miss the basil flavor, you can add a mixture of spinach and fresh basil to make this pesto.
- When making the creamy pesto sauce, I added water to thin it out. It is a very rich sauce so you can add more water if you want. Â Or you can try some chicken broth or a little of the leftover pasta water as well if using regular pasta.
- While I wanted to make this a low carb dish, you can use regular pasta instead of zucchini. Just make sure it’s cooked first before adding to the pan.
- This recipe was for 2 people but there is plenty of the sauce to accommodate more chicken and noodles.
I was very pleased with how good this pesto cream sauce was and a bonus for it being keto!
While I ate this chicken zoodle dish with the sauce, I made regular penne pasta with the chicken and sauce for my family and my son loved that.This is now a family favorite dish and it’s so easy!
So next time you are in the mood for pesto try this easy recipe. And remember you can use this flavorful sauce on pasta, fish, rice, chicken etc. Enjoy!
The nutrition information for 1 serving of the creamy pesto chicken and zoodles is: 600 calories / 42.8g fat / 8.7g carbs / 2.7g fiber / 46.8g protein
This entire recipe makes roughly 1 cup of sauce and the nutrition information for roughly 1 tablespoon of the creamy pesto sauce is:
50 calories / 4.8g fat / 0.7g carbs / 0.2g fiber / 1.3g protein
Keto Creamy Pesto Sauce Recipe
This easy keto creamy pesto sauce is made with spinach and walnuts for a tasty and inexpensive chicken and zucchini one pan dinner! You can also use this creamy pasta sauce on regular pasta, chicken, fish, rice, etc.
Ingredients
Creamy Pesto Sauce
- ¼ cup raw walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- â…“ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup of water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the chicken and zucchini noodle dish.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ lb chicken breast, chopped into pieces
- 1 medium zucchini made into noodles
Instructions
- Making the pesto paste: Add the garlic cloves and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until the garlic is finely minced.
- Add in the spinach, salt and black pepper. Pulse until very finely chopped. Then add in 1 tablespoons of olive oil and the parmesan cheese. Process to blend all of the ingredients together into a bright green paste.
- To make the creamy pesto sauce: Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, pesto paste and half of the water to a large pan. Whisk until the cream cheese melts and everything combines well. Add more water if you want the sauce to be thinner. I used the full ½ cup.
- To make the chicken and zucchini noodles: Before making the creamy sauce, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces for about 4-5 minutes then take them out of the pan and set a side.
- Using the same pan make the creamy pesto sauce as mentioned above. Add the chicken back mix with the pesto sauce, cover and cook for 3 minutes on medium low.
- Lastly add in the zucchini noodles, mix well to coat the noodles. Then cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes more.
Notes
RECIPE TIPS AND NOTES
- To add more flavor to the pesto paste, you can toast the walnuts in a dry skillet first. Make sure to let them cool completely before adding to the food processor.
- If you miss the basil flavor, you can add a mixture of spinach and fresh basil to make this pesto.
- When making the creamy pesto sauce, I added water to thin it out. It is a very rich sauce so you can add more water if you want. Or you can try some chicken broth or a little of the leftover pasta water as well if using regular pasta.
- While I wanted to make this a low carb dish, you can use regular pasta. Just make sure it cooked first before adding to the pan.
- This recipe was for 2 people but there is plenty of the sauce to accommodate more chicken and noodles.
The nutrition information for 1 serving of the creamy pesto chicken and zoodles is: 600 calories / 42.8g fat / 8.7g carbs / 2.7g fiber / 46.8g protein
This recipe makes roughly 1 cup of sauce and the nutrition information for roughly 1 tablespoon of the creamy pesto sauce is:
50 calories / 4.8g fat / 0.7g carbs / 0.2g fiber / 1.3g protein
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 600
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