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22 Healthy Pesto Pasta Recipes To Make For Dinner This Week

One of these flavorful and healthy pesto pasta dishes is just what you'll want on the dinner table this week. Whether it's made from basil, sun-dried tomatoes or other herbs and veggies, pesto can be the flavorful kick that makes your meal extra-delicious. Use your favorite store-bought jar to make our Pesto Ravioli with Spinach & Tomatoes. Or, make your very own pesto with recipes like our Skillet Salmon with Orzo & Green Pea Pesto.

Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

Homemade pesto may seem daunting, but in this quick pasta recipe you can make a simple sauce in minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil. You can substitute frozen green beans and cauliflower for fresh; in Step 4, cook the frozen vegetables according to package directions before tossing with the pasta and pesto.

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One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous

Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.

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Turkey, Pesto & Broccoli Pasta

This easy pasta recipe is a weeknight dinner lifesaver. While shelf-stable pesto will work here, we prefer the fresh flavor and more vibrant color of refrigerated pesto. Look for it in the refrigerated section of your supermarket, near the fresh pasta and marinara sauce.

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Pesto Ravioli with Spinach & Tomatoes

This easy ravioli recipe calls for just five ingredients but is loaded with fresh flavors. By using grape tomatoes, prewashed spinach and prepared pesto, we eliminate all prep work, making this 15-minute Caprese-inspired ravioli the ideal weeknight meal.

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Skillet Salmon with Orzo & Green Pea Pesto

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

This delightful one-pan dinner combines salmon fillets with fresh green pea pesto and orzo pasta. Green pea pesto adds a unique twist to the traditional pesto, bringing a hint of sweetness, body and a vibrant green color to your plate. If you like a more traditional pesto flavor, swap out the dill for chopped fresh basil, or use store-bought basil pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto in its place.

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One-Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

This healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe is easy to make thanks to convenience ingredients like rotisserie chicken and store-bought pesto. The addition of fresh asparagus brightens up the look and flavors of this easy one-pot dinner. Fresh basil, if you have it on hand, is a nice finishing touch.

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Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

This simple vegetarian pasta bake is rich in protein and comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker, for a convenient one-pot meal. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto and plenty of veggies delivers a mix of sweet and savory flavors with every bite. Feel free to replace the sun-dried tomato pesto with basil pesto, offering a fresh twist on the dish.

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One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta

Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

For a fast weeknight pasta dinner, why not cook your sauce and pasta all at once? By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta—no colanders here—the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Pesto Tuna Noodle Casserole

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl

A creamy pesto sauce with sweet shallots and wilted spinach gives a light and bright spin to classic tuna noodle casserole. Albacore tuna is an ideal choice, as it holds its texture well once mixed in, although any water-packed tuna will do the job. For the best results, we recommend using refrigerated pesto for its fresh flavor which enhances the overall dish.

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Lemon-Garlic Chicken Penne with Pesto and Spinach

Fresh pesto brilliantly compliments the lemon and garlic flavors of this juicy chicken dinner.

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Chickpea Pasta with Lemony-Parsley Pesto

We love using chickpea pasta in this quick and easy dinner recipe, but other bean pastas or whole-wheat noodles are just as good with this fresh and zesty pesto sauce.

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Trapanese Pesto Pasta & Zoodles with Salmon

Trapanese pesto is the Sicilian version of the sauce that uses tomatoes and almonds instead of pine nuts. This savory pesto sauce coats low-carb zucchini noodles and heart-healthy seared salmon to create an absolutely delicious pasta dinner.

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Chicken & Asparagus Skillet Pasta with Pesto

Fresh lemon juice, tangy sun-dried tomatoes and zippy pesto tie together the flavors in this quick and easy skillet meal. The 30-minute dinner is so versatile--you can use any quick-cooking protein or vegetable you have on hand and still have a delicious meal on busy weeknights.

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Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad

This cold pesto pasta salad will cool you off on a summer day. Fresh tomatoes and roasted red peppers add a pop of bright color and juiciness here, but any of your favorite pasta-salad veggies, like blanched broccoli and fresh bell peppers, would be delicious too.

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Simple Vegan Pesto Zoodles

Zucchini noodles, or "zoodles," are a gluten-free, low-calorie substitute for traditional pasta in this easy and fresh vegan dinner. For best results, toss the zucchini pasta with the basil pesto sauce and serve right away.

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Pasta Salad with Arugula-Lemon Pesto

If you want proof that school gardens help create sophisticated and adventurous eaters, look no further. Just say "arugula-lemon pesto" to yourself and marvel that the origin of this pasta salad recipe is a cookbook that is an offshoot of school garden programs in Vermont. Recipe adapted from VT Feed.

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Seared Salmon with Pesto Fettuccine

The brightness of basil pesto is a nice match for the buttery flavor of salmon in this quick and healthy dinner recipe. Refrigerated pesto, found near fresh sauces and salsas at most stores, is prettier and has a better taste than jarred.

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Pesto Shrimp Pasta

Using a packaged pesto sauce mix saves time in this 20-minute orzo pasta salad recipe.

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Spaghetti & Zucchini Noodles with Basil-Walnut Pesto

Basil is the backbone of this vibrant no-cook basil-walnut pesto sauce. Toss in some leftover roast chicken or pork with these zucchini noodles for a heartier meal.

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Pesto Pasta Salad

A creamy pesto sauce turns this simple pasta salad into a delightful dinner. Adding broccoli to the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is done is a convenient way to briefly cook it so that it turns a vivid shade of green and softens slightly.

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Basil Pesto Pasta with Grilled Vegetables

This dish is an easy way to turn grilled vegetables into a satisfying meal, thanks to hearty whole-grain pasta and a quick homemade pesto.

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Whole-Grain Orzo & Grilled Vegetable Salad

This lovely Mediterranean orzo salad is rich with basil, grilled vegetables and tender fresh mozzarella cheese. The combination of vegetables, vinaigrette and fresh basil is a perfect base for the orzo and the cheese.

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13 Healthy Dinners That Start With A Package Of Frozen Spinach

These flavorful recipes help you get your greens at dinnertime. From casseroles and one-pot wonders, to pies and spinach-stuffed mains, each dish helps you use up at least a whole bag of nutritious frozen spinach. Serve our Spinach & Feta Quiche or Sesame-Spinach Stuffed Flank Steak with your choice of delicious side dishes. Or, make our One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach for a satisfying veggie-packed meal.

One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach

This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor.

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Spinach, Feta & Rice Casserole

This one-pan recipe is the casserole version of spanakopita! It's hearty enough to enjoy as a vegetarian lunch or dinner, yet versatile enough to serve alongside just about any protein. To make it extra creamy, top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

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Spinach & Feta Quiche

Brie Passano

This quiche skips the crust and delivers spinach, dill and feta cheese in every bite. Enjoy this easy quiche for brunch or make it for dinner and serve with a green salad on the side.

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Spinach & Feta-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These stuffed portobello mushrooms have a filling inspired by the Greek spinach pie, spanakopita. To keep them quick, we ditched the phyllo, so they're great for an easy weeknight vegetarian dinner.

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Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie

This rice, spinach and Cheddar pie is a cinch to prepare--especially if you have leftover cooked rice. If you don't, follow package directions for 4 servings to get about 3 cups cooked rice. Serve with steamed artichokes with light mayo mixed with lemon for dipping.

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Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

This lightened-up lasagna packs in the nutrients with plenty of spinach, carrots, and mushrooms--plus satisfies cheese cravings with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

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Meatball & Creamed Spinach Skillet

Spaghetti and meatballs is a no-brainer, but pairing meatballs with a pile of creamed spinach topped with marinara and cheese is a flavorful twist. Pick your favorite frozen meatballs--beef, chicken or veggie--for this healthy dinner recipe.

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Sesame-Spinach Stuffed Flank Steak

This healthy steak recipe is quick enough for a weeknight dinner and yet impressive enough for a dinner party. Round out the meal with baked sweet potatoes and garlic green beans.

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Chicken, Spinach & Rice Casserole with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Jason Donnelly

Cheesy, filling and utterly delicious, this weeknight-friendly casserole uses precooked chicken and brown rice to save time without sacrificing flavor. Be sure to squeeze as much water from the frozen spinach as you can so your casserole doesn't get watery.

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Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Antonis Achilleos

These spinach-stuffed chicken breasts are flavored with Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Together, the flavors are bright, light and pack a punch. This well-seasoned dish is easy to make and looks impressive on the table.

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Spinach-Artichoke-Sausage Cauliflower Gnocchi

Hearty and piquant, this quick cauliflower gnocchi dinner incorporates several healthy convenience ingredients, including turkey sausage and tender artichoke hearts, so dinner is on your table fast.

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Turkey-Vegetable Bake

Need to use up leftover turkey from the holidays? Make this low fat casserole. It's made with brown rice and lots of vegetables.

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Vegetarian Spinach Enchiladas

This vegetarian enchilada recipe is weeknight-fast when you skip the step of filling and rolling the enchiladas and make a stacked enchilada casserole instead. Just layer the tortillas, sauce and cheesy spinach filling the way you would lasagna and have the casserole in the oven in 20 minutes.

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17 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes For Busy Weeknights

Life is busy, but no matter how hectic things get, you still have to eat. Oh, and your kids have to eat, too. (So do your pets, but I digress.) Dinnertime comes every day whether you like it or not. You might as well make the most of it with something nourishing and tasty. Putting these healthy slow cooker recipes for busy weeknights on the menu will give you one less thing to do, but keep your whole family fed.

Most weeknights, I'm too busy shuttling kids back and forth to karate practice and theater rehearsals to think, let alone make an entire meal. Between helping with homework and extracurriculars, who has time to cook? I typically have a lot more time in the mornings to prep dinner, so slow-cooker meals are in heavy rotation during the week because after I throw everything in, the appliance does all the heavy lifting.

For the healthy slow cooker meals on this list, healthy is relative — think lots of veggies, lean proteins, and other ingredients that add nutritional value, but there's no shying away from a bit of cream or a handful of cheese here. A nutritious meal that tastes great and will feed everyone with minimal effort on your part is a total weeknight win.

1 Lentil Soup

From Pinch Of Yum, this detox crockpot lentil soup is packed with nutritious ingredients like kale, onions, garlic, carrots, and olive oil. Plus, it pretty much makes itself. You might even have most everything you need already on hand in your kitchen. Just throw it all in your slow cooker and with minimal effort, you've got a hearty and healthy dinner waiting at the end of the day.

2 Turkey Sweet Potato Chili

My family is always up for a chili night, and this recipe from Foodie Crush checks all the right boxes. Between the lean ground turkey, two types of kidney beans, quinoa, and sweet potatoes, it's a healthy slow cooker meal that is also super filling. You can serve it with toppings like cheese and sour cream or even some corn chips to give it some crunch.

3 Shrimp Boil

Spice up your busy weeknight with this slow cooker shrimp boil recipe from Damn Delicious. The entire meal is in your slow cooker — corn cobs, potatoes, sausage, and shrimp. Just ladle what you want onto your plate, peel the shrimp, and enjoy!

4 Tacos Al Pastor

Tender, flavorful, moist pork is the perfect filling for tacos al pastor, and when you're pressed for time on a busy weeknight, having it ready-to-go in the slow cooker is a huge time saver. As this recipe from Gimme Some Oven explains, once your pork is ready, you can pile it on some tortillas and add any toppings you like — pineapple, diced onion, and pickled radishes are just a few ideas.

5 Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Make this lemon chicken orzo soup from Damn Delicious on a busy weeknight when you want something comforting that's still on the healthier side. Lemon, thyme, and rosemary give it a bright flavor, while the orzo and chicken make it feel less like a soup and more like a hearty pasta dish. Plus, you'll get plenty of colorful veggies in your kids with this recipe.

6 Thai Peanut Chicken Curry

If you're looking for a healthy slow cooker recipe that's less like a health food and more like takeout, Thai peanut chicken curry from Averie Cooks strikes the perfect balance. You'll get plenty of protein from the chicken and the peanut butter in the peanut sauce, and you can serve it straight out of the slow cooker over brown rice or with a side of steamed or roasted veggies.

7 Turkey Breast

Thanksgiving-worthy turkey on a weeknight? Say no more. If you have time to roast a few veggies in the oven or grab a bag of salad out of the fridge, you've got a well-rounded meal right here with this healthy protein as the star. From Simply Scratch, this slow cooker turkey breast recipe is pretty much guaranteed to become a household staple meal.

8 Ham & Beans

Looking for a protein boost? A big, comforting bowl of ham and beans can be just that. From Wholefully, this recipe has just a few simple ingredients, spends all day (about 7 hours) in your slow cooker, and will fill your family's bellies after a long weekday.

9 Garlic & Dijon Chicken

When you're too busy running errands and chauffeuring kids to roast anything in the oven, enjoying a whole chicken on a weeknight is still totally possible with your slow cooker and this recipe from Baked By Rachel. Dijon mustard and garlic give it tons of flavor without any added nonsense. It takes about four hours to cook, and then you just need about five minutes under the broiler to get the skin nice and crispy.

10 Potato & Cauliflower Curry

How beautiful does this potato and cauliflower curry look? Getting my kids to consume enough vegetables can be tough, so I often lean into vegetarian recipes like this one from Half Baked Harvest when I want to ensure they get the nutrients they need. Here, the cauliflower is the star of the plate, and after it marinates for a while in all of the curry spices and rich broth in your slow cooker, your kids are way less likely to turn it down.

11 Salsa Verde Chicken

With this recipe for slow cooker salsa verde chicken from The Comfort Of Cooking, you have the perfect base for a homemade burrito bowl. Add some cooked rice, beans, fresh avocado, chopped onions, tomatoes, and any other toppings you like to have a fresh and healthy weeknight dinner ready in no time.

12 Tortellini Vegetable Soup

If you're in the mood for Italian, but don't want to indulge in a heavy bowl of creamy pasta, this tortellini vegetable soup from Half Baked Harvest is a great option. With a hearty serving of kale and plenty of carrots, you've got a decent amount of vegetables to balance out the cheese tortellini. Plus, you can dip big hunks of crusty bread into your bowl to soak up the broth. Yum!

13 Korean Short Ribs

One key to a healthy weeknight meal is to pick a delicious protein and pair it with something fresh like a salad or some vegetables. You can do exactly that with these slow cooker Korean short ribs from Brown Eyed Baker. They get nice and tender in the crockpot over several hours and are ready to enjoy whenever your busy weeknight allows.

14 Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

A lighter take on traditional chicken soup, this coconut lime chicken soup from Baked by Rachel uses coconut milk instead of cream. It also has tons of colorful vegetables that you can feel good about feeding your kids. There's a little kick from the lime juice and diced jalapeños, but you can always adjust this to your liking if you need to.

15 Italian Turkey Meatballs

Using this recipe from Simply Scratch, you can pair hand-rolled turkey meatballs with your favorite jar of marinara in your crockpot for a lighter take on spaghetti and meatballs. Enjoy over whole-wheat pasta, with some rice, or even on a meatball sub loaded with veggies for an easy and healthy weeknight meal.

16 Teriyaki Chicken

When you make this recipe for slow cooker teriyaki chicken from The Comfort Of Cooking, your family can enjoy a homecooked meal that's better for them than take-out or pantry sauces filled with preservatives. A few simple ingredients and about four hours in the slow cooker are all you need. When it's done, scoop it over steamed rice or serve with a side of vegetables.

17 Winter Minestrone Soup

This hearty slow cooker winter minestrone soup with split red lentils from A Beautiful Plate is like a cozy hug in a bowl on a busy weeknight. Loaded with veggies and lentils, with a dash of olive oil, parsley, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese, it's a healthy comfort food without the fuss. Just set it and forget it for a wholesome dinner that your whole family can enjoy whenever you're ready.

So, while you're working, doing school pick-ups, or running around town for your kids' activities, use these recipes to let your slow cooker do all the work and still feed your family a nutritious and satisfying dinner on a busy weeknight.

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