Tired of the same old pasta with meat sauce? Try a pasta dish without any sauce at all and see how delicious it can be when the flavour of sautéed chicken and vegetables isn't smothered by a tomato based sauce. For great tasting food anytime, try to keep it simple and make sure the finished product is nice to look at. There are times when visual flavour can have as great an impact on our taste buds than the actual flavour itself.
These two recipes are easy to prepare, very colourful when presented and use up leftovers. You can substitute pork, or turkey in either of the recipes. If you don't happen to have any cooked chicken or pork on hand, either of the recipes will work well with canned, cooked chicken breasts. The Kirkland brand from Costco is very good and worth keeping on hand. Beef does not lend itself well to most pasta recipes. The dominant flavour of cooked beef over powers the delicate flavour of the pasta itself.
Chicken and Rigatoni
- 3 1/2 cups (8 oz.) rigatoni, uncooked
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup sweet red pepper strips
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Cook the rigatoni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside in a bowl. While the rigatoni is cooking, sauté the chicken, onion, garlic, red peppers and carrot rounds in the oil over medium heat.. When the carrots can be pierced with a fork they are done. This shouldn't take any longer than 6 minutes. Toss with hot pasta and serve immediately. Garnish with shredded cheddar if desired. Garlic bread and a crisp, green salad would be nice sides for this pasta dish. Serves 4
Chicken Fettuccine
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/3 cup diced sweet red pepper
- 1/3 cup diced green pepper
- 1 small carrot shredded
- 2 little green onions and their tails, sliced thin
- 2 generous tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles
Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. Drain, toss with the butter and Parmesan Cheese and set aside in a bowl. While the fettuccine is cooking, sauté the chicken, onion, carrot, red and green peppers in the oil over medium heat until barely soft. About 3 minutes. Toss with the hot pasta. Serve immediately. Garlic bread and a nice side salad would go well with this pasta dish. Serves 6
Heather O'Neil - Published poet, children's book author, mixed media artist and retired newspaper columnist. I am also the sole owner/operator of O'Neil ...
