Monday, January 10, 2011

Tuscan-Style Chicken Pasta


Look out... it's another pasta recipe, just what you wanted around the New Year with all those diet resolutions floating around.  Well have no fear, this is fairly low cal, and if you serve it with wheat pasta I would say you could consider it healthy even.... remember pasta is not the enemy, mammoth sized portions are.  I fear once again my lack of photograph skill has interferred with how bright and lively this dish really is.

However, I will trade a good photo for a quick meal and post any day.  Some days (like today for instance),  as I am wander through the blogs of others I actually get annoyed with them.  Horrible I know.  I love these people or I wouldn't have marked their pages as favorites, but I think... those cookies probably took you 30 minutes to make and setting up that shot with the perfect spray of spilled peanuts, or the miniature forks sticking out of this confection or that with a perfectly tied contrasting bow on each had to take you at least another 45 minutes.  Don't people like to eat in your house?  How many times did you stick your husband with that fork to keep him from spearing a potato while you adjusted your lighting?  I know I'm a crank-a-saurus.  I blame it on needing more sleep and less heartburn as I finish up the end of this pregnancy.

With that said... be prepared for random posts, and ugly shots of food taken while dragging a 2 year old on one leg, bouncing a newborn, and arguing with a teenager about whether or not she can have our car for the night.  In fact I was thinking of renaming this blog... This and That.  It will have gorgeous photos of things I have stolen off the internet and then the hideous food that I will be cooking.  As in... THIS is what I wanted to cook, but THAT is what we ate instead.


This is one of the hubby's recipe that he got out of Men's Healthy I believe a few years back.  It will be making a huge come back in our house as it is quick, fresh, healthy, and tasty.  Feel free to use real beans instead of the ones in the can, but I will be cheating and using canned beans for the  next 4-6 months as my priorities shift from all fresh, all natural, all the time.... to... can we still eat this thing in the fridge that may or may not be from this week to avoid cooking for one more night?


Warning... rinse your canned beans well.  I'm not sure if it's necessary but it freaks me out that they foam.... why do they foam?  What's in that can besides a bean that has detergent?



I did use fresh spinach... there's really not much in there.  PS... I don't recommend upping the pasta unless you've upped the other ingredients.  I tried that this time and it was a tad bland as this is not a saucy recipe.  Enjoy dinner on the table in the blink of an eye... no lighting crew required.

Tuscan-Style Chicken Pasta
Men's Health.... maybe
Ingredients

2 ounces penne
10 ounces chicken, pounded to ¼” thickness (I cheated and just sliced it into strips to cut the cook time)
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cannelloni beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried rosemary, finely chopped
2 heaping Tablespoons diced roasted red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan

Method

Boil ½ quarts of water, drop in the penne, stir, and cook until the past is al dente (about 9-11 minutes)

While the pasta cooks, sear the chicken in a skillet on medium-high (about 4-5 minutes per side), seasoning each side with a pinch of salt and pepper as the other side cooks. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.

Reduce skillet heat to medium. Add the spinach, beans, oil, garlic, rosemary, and bell peppers. Turn frequently until the spinach wilts (about 1 to 2 minutes)

Slice the chicken and toss it with drained pasta and the spinach-bean mixture. Top each serving with 1 Tablespoon of the cheese.

Makes 2 servings

3 comments:

  1. I have wondered about bean foam too! I am not a cook-from-raw bean person though, so I guess I'll have to deal with it.

    I've been battling with the guilt?shame?bewilderment? of not having the blogability of a food stylist, but hey, at the end of the day, it's your space to do exactly what you want with it. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I like what you do here just the way it is!

    And I'll never turn away another yummy pasta recipe!

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  2. Hey you're back!!! Yay. Maybe someday we will have enough time to develop into food stylist... right now... not a change...ha. Glad to see you back on.

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