The past couple of days of been a full-on fiesta! I’ve had my share of Mexican specialties. On Sunday, I rocked the guac…and it was delish! Yesterday’s dinner was a feast of epic proportion at Don Jose Tequilas! Lots of great eats – some spice, some heat – everything I love.
Today I needed to mix it up. I had a fridge full of farmer’s market veggies – colorful and ready for eating. I was craving something fresh and simple. Behold Summer Chicken and Vegetable Pasta.
Bold colors, fresh flavors, and a simple recipe. I’ll provide you with my version, but I’m sure that many modifications would create an equally delicious dish.
Ingredients (to serve 4-6):
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 summer squash, chopped
- fresh green beans – cleaned and cut
- 3 T. freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 lb. cooked whole wheat pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add minced garlic and saute for a couple minutes.
- Add red peppers and saute until peppers soften slightly.
- Add chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- While chicken cooks, get your pasta going.
- When chicken is almost cooked through, add remaining vegetables to the skillet and saute for a couple more minutes.
- Combine chicken vegetable mixture with cooked pasta.
- Stir remaining olive oil and 3 T. parmesan cheese into the mix.
- Scoop a hearty serving and eat up!
Mmmm…mmm…good. This was exactly what I hoped for. No overwhelming flavors just subtle bursts of salty cheese enhancing the freshness of the local veggies.
It was a nice base – easy to adjust:
- Sub white beans for the chicken as a vegetarian option.
- Use roasted or grilled veggies for some different flavor.
- Add diced tomatoes and/or spinach to the saute.
Oh the possibilities…
What’s your favorite way to eat pasta? Pasta is a carbolicious favorite of mine. I love ravioli, especially the fresh, homemade options from our very own Venda Ravioli. Mouth-watering!
I loove pasta salads like that, especially with a good vinaigrette type of dressing and lotss of olives! Also I loved your comment because I am totally obsessed with Boardmaker. I used it at work all last summer and got the software for myself this summer! They seriously have everythinggg it’s amazing!
Love the white beans substitution, never occurred to me. Even though I run, I’m not a huge pasta fan. When I do have it, I use pesto sauce instead of red sauce. Or I guess you could count Mac N Cheese, now I’m on bored:)
I am totally a plain jane spaghetti gal. I love it…but angel hair is my favorite noodle shape…I love how thin it is. The texture makes me happy!
My favorite recipe at the moment is with spinach and zucchini tossed in a lemon garlic type sauce…so good!!
I LOVE pasta in all kinds of recipes but sometimes I think the simpler, the better! I like garlic, anchovies, and broccoli. And the classics: (whole wheat) spaghetti and meatballs and carbonara (for a splurge!)
I ‘m not a pasta discriminator, I just love pasta. I even like it plain with a hint of Smart Balance sprinked with som parm. Don’t judge me until you try it