This pesto chicken mug pasta cooks up in the microwave in under 10 minutes for an easy and healthy lunch on the go!
Want pasta for one? Want it quickly? Hate doing dishes? You are in the right place, because this pesto chicken mug pasta is exactly what you're looking for.
Not only is it a complete meal, but it is ready in just 10 minutes. TEN!
Like my favorite One Pan Tuscan Pasta Bake, this mug pasta tastes indulgent, but has plenty of veggies hiding in there!
Reasons you'll ♡ this pesto chicken mug pasta
Ingredients you'll need
- Pasta- you can use a variety of pasta shapes, including macaroni, fusili and penne.
- Chicken- you will need fully cooked chicken for this recipe. Check out my Perfect Baked Chicken Breast recipe here!
- Veggies- we are using tomatoes and spinach, but you could use any quick cooking or pre-cooked veggies. I bet sun dried tomatoes and kale would be great swapped in!
- Pesto- we are using store bought pesto, but if you'd like to try making your own, I highly recommend this kale pesto recipe.
- Parmesan- or use your favorite cheese!
Mug pasta FAQ
Can I make this mug pasta in any mug?
This recipe was tested using CorningWare's Meal Mugs, which I highly recommend. This recipe may be too large to fit in a standard mug.
Can I make this recipe vegetarian?
Yes, swap the chicken for white beans or just leave it out.
Can I use gluten-free, whole wheat, chickpea or other alternative pastas?
This recipe has not been tested with any specialty pasta, so if you give any of these a try, let us know below in the comments how it goes for you!
More easy pasta recipes:
- Kale Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caprese Pasta Bake
- Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- One Pot White Bean Pasta
- Sun Dried Tomato Chickpea One Pot Pasta
Pesto chicken mug pasta video
Wondering how this pesto chicken mug pasta is made? Watch this 1-minute video for a visual guide. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
You can get your very own stash of Meal Mugs on Amazon, at Walmart, Loblaws, Home Outfitters, London Drugs or on the World Kitchen Website.
Disclosure: Thank you to CorningWare for sponsoring this post. All opinions remain my own. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support Sweet Peas & Saffron!
Pesto Chicken Mug Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ cup pasta see notes
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt
- 1.5 tablespoons pesto
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup spinach torn
- ½ cup cooked chicken breast cubed
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place the pasta and ⅔ cup of water in a meal mug. Sprinkle with salt.
- Place a paper towel under the mug, and heat on high (NO LID) for 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- After the 5 minutes is up, stir the pasta and add the remaining ⅓ cup of water. Heat for 2-3 more minutes (NO LID), or until pasta is cooked through.
- Stir in the pesto until pasta is coated. Add in the tomatoes, spinach and chicken, then microwave on high for 30 seconds-1 minute (LID ON), until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are soft.
- Stir in the cheese, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Corningware
Jessica
This sounds really good! Is there anything that can be substituted for the pesto? I'm not sure it's easy to come by where I live
Denise
Hi Jessica, my apologies for my late reply (holiday craziness!) You can always make your own pesto, I have several recipes on this site and they freeze well too! As for store-bought, you could always just go for some marinara sauce. I hope this helps!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
Oh my gosh, pasta dinner in a mug?? Where has this been my whole life?? Plus, it's pesto pasta to boot which is an automatic winner in my book!
Denise
Thanks so much Sarah!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
After seeing your video on IG, I knew I NEEDED this recipe asap. This looks SO good, Denise! And I'm still in awe that it's made in a meal mug. Such a great idea! I could eat pesto on just about everything, so I need to try this out. Delish!
Denise
Thanks so much Gayle! 🙂
helen @ Scrummy Lane
Oh my goodness - this is amazing, Denise! I'm at work right now (oops) and REALLY want to be making this for lunch.
Definitely would be the focus of some serious lunch envy!
Denise
He he I won't tell on you Helen 😉 Thanks so much, and happy holidays!!