3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta
This 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta is cheesy and delicious…and it’s sure to keep you warm on these chilly nights!
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Whew. That’s a title. 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta. It’s a mouthful for sure. A delicious mouthful, but still a mouthful. But each part is important. If you’re serving this one to friends or family, they need to know it’s cheesy. And they need to know about the pesto and chicken side, too. And, of course, you (as the chef) needs to know about the slow cooker side of things. Slow cook your way to an easy, delicious dinner with this 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta!
As I often like to do on the blog, let’s take a small detour from the food for a moment. We’ll come back soon. I mean this is a recipe blog. But with Halloween around the corner, I always love exploring the supernatural side of things.
Last year, I wrote about how I may or may not have seen a ghost growing up in downtown Charleston, SC. Our house was built pre-Civil War era, and my mom often said strange things happened around there. Perhaps it was that experience as a kid, but Laura and I both love hearing about the supernatural. I’m not saying I want to wake up in the middle night and meet a ghost. I’m just saying we’re intrigued by the supernatural. We enjoy watching those ghost shows on tv, and we often take ghost tours whenever we travel. Our tour into the vaults underneath Edinburgh, Scotland remains one of my favorite ghost tours of all time…if a ghost tour can be a favorite, that is.
After college, I moved down to south Louisiana for a change of pace. From Mardi Gras to the food to the college football, I love everything about south Louisiana. And, sure enough, it didn’t take long before I made my way over to The Myrtles. Have you heard of The Myrtles? It’s a plantation home outside of Baton Rouge, LA that was built in the late 1700’s. It’s one of many beautiful plantations scattered across southern Louisiana. Oh, and it’s also one of the most haunted places in America.
Several friends and I went out to The Myrtles for a ghost tour of the property. According to legends, the house is built on a Tunica Indian burial ground, and a number of murders have taken place in the house. Only one of these murders can be documented historically, but that one is plenty enough for me!
One of the most famous photos of The Myrtles was taken back in the early 1990’s when the owner was documenting the property for insurance purposes. When the owner looked at the photos she’d taken, she noticed something very peculiar. There appears to be a shadowy figure standing between the two buildings. A number of experts have looked at this photo over the years, and they’ve verified that it isn’t doctored, Photoshopped or altered in any way. I don’t know about you, but that looks like the ghost of Chloe to me! (Chloe was supposedly a household slave who poisoned the family.) I want to believe that this was just a visitor to the plantation who happened to wander into the photo as it was being taken…but you can see the slats of the house through the figure! Eep.
And then there’s this photo taken by a visitor to The Myrtles. Is that a young girl in antebellum clothing looking out of the window? I have no idea, but it’s enough to give me the chills. That’s certainly not the standard ‘orbs’ (i.e. flecks of dust) that show up in most ghost shows.
Ok, enough creepy and spooky talk for now. I love reading about haunted houses and the paranormal (especially around Halloween time each year), but a little bit goes a long way for me! Oh, and did you know that you can actually book a room at The Myrtles? Maybe you should head down there and see if you catch something strange in a photo?
3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta
Back to this 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta. This pasta came about as a result of this Pesto French Bread Pizza with Grilled Chicken. I love French bread pizza, and that pesto version is quite tasty. So the other day, I decided to mix things up a bit, but still use the same flavors. Since we’re heading into slow cooker season, I decided to turn that recipe into something that could be cooked in the slow cooker.
This 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta is delicious! Basically you let the chicken slow cook with a bunch of pesto while you’re at work or running around doing errands. Then about 30 minutes before dinner, you just cook up the pasta and toss it into the slow cooker along with a mix of melty cheeses. The result? A cheesy, pesto-y (is that a word?) pasta with shredded chicken. It’s the perfect easy meal to keep you warm on these chilly nights!
If you make a batch of this 3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta, take a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Or come back and leave a comment! Cheers, friends!
Love slow cooker meals? Try some of these other favorites!
Slow Cooker Blueberry Apple Cobbler
3-Cheese Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ cup basil pesto homemade or storebought
- ¾ cup red onion sliced
- 16 oz. farfalle pasta
- 1½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup smoked gouda cheese shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Rub olive oil evenly over chicken breasts. Sprinkle Italian seasonings, kosher salt and pepper on chicken and place in a single layer in slow cooker. Spread pesto and sliced red onions on top of chicken.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked and can be shredded easily with 2 forks.
- Cook pasta for 3-4 minutes less than time shown on package instructions.
- Meanwhile, remove the chicken from slow cooker and shred using 2 forks. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and add partially-cooked pasta, mozzarella, smoked gouda, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil; stir until well combined.
- Continue cooking on low for 15-20 more minutes, or until cheeses have fully melted.
YES to all things supernatural! I once wrote a paper on ghosts in the Tower of London and it remains one of the most interesting things I ever studied–ghost tours are a fun way to learn about history! Also yes to this pasta. You had me at 3-Cheese and kept me with pesto 🙂
Ghosts in the Tower of London? Tell me more! Seriously. Send me that paper! Maybe we can chow down on some pasta and tell ghost stories? 🙂
My hands are sweating as I’m reading this!!! I do love to watch a scary show every now and then and right now it’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ on Netflix. It’s a series and I love it….screamed out loud once and everything, lol. Totall recommend it and if you do watch, let me know what ya think 🙂 I’m all about using my slow cooker and definitely all about cheese so this pasta is definitely calling my name!! And pesto-y surely is a word, if you ask me 😉
Yes! I heard about the Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, but perhaps this weekend. It sounds right up my alley! I’m thinking some cheesy, pesto-y pasta and some ghost shows are definitely on the docket for this weekend. 🙂 Thanks so much, Dawn!
haha – totally* Too quick on the trigger, lol.
I am obsessed with old houses that have lots of character. Ours is about a hundred years old and a few of its prior residents passed within its walls. It’s actually comforting to think they’re still watching out for us at night.
The pasta sounds fabulous. Love all that cheese. And slow-cooked shredded chicken is like candy.
…. wait, what was that noise? It sounded like the basement ….
Interesting! We lived in a really old house (~160 years old at the time) when we were in Charleston, and we’ve got some spooky stories from that one. Our current house is only about 40 years old, and there’s nothing spooky here…although I am convinced that Sasquatch roams around behind our back fence. 🙂
…Oh no…Bill…come back!
Hi David! Love this extra cheesey pasta! My crockpot died and I haven’t gotten a new one yet, as I’m on the fence about getting an instant pot. I have been craving dishes like this now that the weather has finally cooled down. Guess it’s time to decide what pot to get! My basil plant didn’t fare well for some reason so I’ll have to go with store bought Hope all is well on your homefront!
I still haven’t jumped on the instant pot train, either, Dorothy. I must be the only blogger in the world who hasn’t…but I’m just not convinced. It’s basically a slow cooker + pressure cooker, and I already have both. That slow cooker really is quite handy at this time of the year. We froze for the first time last night, and now I’m just craving delicious comfort food!
I love anything supernatural too! Also, love going on ghost tours. This chicken pasta sounds like it is easy to make and full of flavor. Great dish!
Yes! I love ghost tours, too, Dawn. There are a couple around our area that I haven’t been on yet, but they’re on the agenda. It’s a little hard with Robbie because he’s not quite old enough for a ghost tour. Maybe in another year or two! Thanks so much, my friend!
Book a room at The Myrtles? You must be joking. Oh no you’re not, I see you can. Eeek! Do you know I’ve never yet taken that tour around the Edinburgh vaults under the city. Isn’t it always the same when you live near something like that you sometimes never get round to going there? Anyway I see you’re serving this excellent pasta dish with wine. So it get’s my vote!
Exactly! You really can book a room at the Myrtles. Can you imagine getting up to use the restroom in the middle of the night and then peaking out into the hallway? Eek! Wait. I can’t believe you’ve never done the Edinburgh Vaults tour. That was seriously one of the spookiest things I’ve ever done! It is well worth it, Neil. Seriously! And, yes, indeed…a good comfort food pasta dish always tastes better with a bottle of wine. Always. 🙂
David, as a former resident of the bayou country, I can say for sure that ghost do live at The Myrtles. If not, why would they have tours. We did a swamp ghost tour a few years back. I thought I was going to lose the good lady that night, but thankfully she covered her face, so she didn’t see any ghosts. It was a cool tour.
I’ve made my share of pesto but have never used it in a slow cooker. Great thinking Ambassador Spiced.
I didn’t realize you lived in bayou country! I knew you called Louisville home at one point, but I didn’t realize Louisiana was on the list, too. I absolutely loved living in Louisiana, and I would go back in a heartbeat!
A swamp ghost tour you say? Now I’m intrigued!! I would be all about that. Laura and I love doing ghost tours whenever we go on vacation. And in completely unrelated news, do try pesto in the slow cooker! It’s delicious. 🙂 Thanks, Ron!
OMG – so CREEPY! That picture with the girl in the window is totally freaking me out! Anyway, your childhood ghost story was fascinating too! I’ve had my fair share of seeing what I thought to be the paranormal too.
I remember when I was fresh out of college and had my first newspaper reporter job, I had to cover a story of a woman who passed away in her home but nobody knew. She had been in there for months. I was interviewing the police when I was about to walk out of the room and the officer said, “Wait, there’s one more thing.” I said, “What?” He said, “She had no eyes!” I was so terrified, I slept with the lights on and had to have a friend stay with me for days (I lived alone). I swore she was haunting me until another newspaper wrote a story about her too. I was convinced she moved on to haunting that person.
Anyway, back to the food. I am always looking for slow cooker recipes so this is awesome! Love me some pesto…Mmmm! 🙂 It’s perfect for Halloween too after all that exhausting trick-or-treating!
Whew. That was a totally creepy story, Sherri! I’ve always found the paranormal fascinating, but of course it’s extra-fascinating around Halloween time. I have no idea whether ghosts actually exist, but they feel very real in my head…especially when it’s dark and spooky outside! 🙂
Also, I hear ya on the trick-or-treating. Tossing some pesto and pasta in a slow cooker would be a great way to have an easy dinner on Halloween night…or any one of these busy nights coming now that the holidays are almost here. Hope you had a great weekend…and I hope you didn’t see any ghosts!