Meal Monday
Having company over for dinner and have no food in the house? No need to worry. With just one trip to the grocery store and 30 minutes in the kitchen, dinner is served.
This Pasta with Pesto, Chicken, and Roasted Vegetable recipe is great because you can make it to suit your tastes with what's available in your fridge, at the store, or for the season. You can use store-bought pesto or make your own. And since it uses a rotisserie chicken, there's one less thing to cook. Or you can omit the chicken for a vegetarian meal.
It's a good thing the trio would not come near this pasta with a 10-foot-pole: There wasn't anything left for them.
Pasta with Pesto, Chicken, and Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta Pesto (recipe below)
Roasted Vegetables – (I used asparagus, mushrooms, and broccoli - method below)
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Rotisserie Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
For the Pesto:
Adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups packed basil leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup warm water
6 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
Preparation:
Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Place basil and next 3 ingredients (basil through pepper) in processor; process 10 seconds. Combine water and oil in a measuring cup. With processor on, slowly pour oil mixture through food chute, processing just until blended.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut desired vegetables into bite-size pieces. In bowl, mix vegetables with olive oil—approximately 3 teaspoons—and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast on baking sheet(s) for about 16-20 minutes.
For the Pasta:
Cook according to package directions. Drain when done.
For the Chicken:
Cut as much of the rotisserie chicken as you want to include in the pasta into bite-size pieces. Or use other leftover chicken.
To Compose the Dish:
Place pasta, vegetables, and chicken in a large bowl. Add half of the pesto and mix to evenly coat. Add more pesto if desired. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta Pesto (recipe below)
Roasted Vegetables – (I used asparagus, mushrooms, and broccoli - method below)
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Rotisserie Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
For the Pesto:
Adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups packed basil leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup warm water
6 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
Preparation:
Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Place basil and next 3 ingredients (basil through pepper) in processor; process 10 seconds. Combine water and oil in a measuring cup. With processor on, slowly pour oil mixture through food chute, processing just until blended.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut desired vegetables into bite-size pieces. In bowl, mix vegetables with olive oil—approximately 3 teaspoons—and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast on baking sheet(s) for about 16-20 minutes.
For the Pasta:
Cook according to package directions. Drain when done.
For the Chicken:
Cut as much of the rotisserie chicken as you want to include in the pasta into bite-size pieces. Or use other leftover chicken.
To Compose the Dish:
Place pasta, vegetables, and chicken in a large bowl. Add half of the pesto and mix to evenly coat. Add more pesto if desired. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Nice Post
Posted by: Dora | Monday, February 13, 2012 at 01:42 AM
This recipe is definitely great to serve for our dinner. My husband loves pesto, my kids loves chicken and I love roasted vegetables. It’s just an all in one dish for my family.
Posted by: gluten free pasta | Monday, February 13, 2012 at 02:22 AM