Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken & White Beans

Written By Jill Maloney

🌿🔥 Different Plates. Same Table.

🍗 Meat:: Grilled chicken
🥦 Vegetarian: White beans
🌾 Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: Gluten-free pesto pasta with spinach and your choice of protein

Let’s talk about beans for a moment. Beans have always been one of my greatest sources of protein growing up. Cheap, easy, good for you and endlessly versatile — lentils, great northern, chickpeas, lima — you name it, we ate it. And my grandmother had a philosophy that I have carried with me my whole life in the kitchen:

"If you put enough olive oil and garlic in it, you will love it." - She was not wrong!

One of my absolute favorite childhood dishes that my mom made was spinach and beans — a simple humble recipe that I still make to this day. There is something about that combination — creamy white beans, garlicky wilted spinach, good olive oil — that just feels like home to me.

This pesto pasta is my weeknight twist on that memory. Creamy white beans, garlicky spinach, grilled chicken (or your favorite protein), and gluten-free egg pasta tossed in vegan pesto come together in one satisfying meal.

The best part? It fits perfectly with the way I cook today. Everyone at my table eats the same pesto pasta base, then customizes their plate with grilled chicken, white beans, or both. No extra cooking, no separate meals.

Oh and I always make extra chicken thighs. Because cold pesto pasta with leftover grilled chicken for lunch is one of my son’s favorite meals.

INGREDIENTS- SERVES 4

Chicken:

  • 8 chicken thighs

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • 3 garlic cubes

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • 1 tbsp herbes de Provence

Pasta:

  • 2 boxes GF egg pasta

  • 2 containers vegan pesto

Beans:

  • 1 can great northern beans (not drained)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 garlic cubes

Spinach:

  • 1 large bag fresh spinach

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 garlic cubes

To serve:

  • 1 pack GF dinner rolls

  • Olive oil (for dipping)

  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
Mix olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and herbes de Provence. Coat chicken thighs and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight for best flavor).

Step 2: Heat the Grill
Preheat grill to high heat while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Step 3: Grill the Chicken
Get your chicken on the grill now so it has plenty of time to cook! I cook mine on my Traeger at 450°F for 30 minutes, flipping half-way through — but every grill is different so adjust accordingly. Always make sure your chicken is cooked through before serving. Let rest for 5 minutes before plating.

Step 4: Warm the Beans
Heat olive oil in a pot, add garlic, then stir in great northern beans (including liquid). Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warm and creamy. The longer you cook the better they will be!

Step 5: Sauté the Spinach
Sauté garlic in olive oil, then add fresh spinach in batches until just wilted. Season lightly with salt.

Step 6: Cook the Pasta + Pesto
Cook GF pasta according to package instructions. Drain and immediately toss with vegan pesto until evenly coated.

Step 7: Warm the Rolls
Warm GF dinner rolls in the oven as directed and serve with olive oil for dipping.

Step 8: Plating
Serve pesto pasta as the base and top with grilled chicken for meat eaters, beans for vegetarians. Add spinach and finish with red pepper flakes and warm bread on the table.

A simple pasta dinner turns into a full flexible meal with just a few add-ons — perfect for feeding everyone at the same table without extra cooking.

HELPFUL TIPS:

  • This recipe serves 3-4 but scales up easily — just multiply everything and the table grows with you!

  • I cook my chicken on my Traeger grill at 450°F for 30 minutes — every grill is different so adjust your time and temperature accordingly. Always make sure chicken is cooked through! Or just cook your preferred method!

  • Gotham Greens vegan pesto from Whole Foods is the secret here — no cheese, completely dairy free, which means everyone gets the exact same pesto without a single modification. Any good vegan pesto will work — these are just my favourites after trying so many!

  • The TJ GF egg pasta is honestly one of the best GF pastas out there — nobody would ever know it's gluten free. Any good GF pasta works here too!

  • Cook extra chicken thighs — they reheat beautifully and make the best lunch the next day!!

  • Use Trader Joe's frozen garlic cubes throughout — no peeling, no grating, just pop a few cubes in.

Jill Maloney
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