Pesto Pasta 

Pesto pasta makes a great lunch or dinner meal. The rich taste is one the whole family will love. With this recipe, there will for sure be leftovers, but not worries, the oil based sauce helps keep the pasta moist making for a great snack to warm up later. It is a balanced meal with a great source of protein and vegetables. While this recipe calls for three vegetables there are a variety of veggies that could be added to this dish. Substitutions can be made to meet all your family’s dietary needs.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb Chicken Breast
• 10oz Grape Tomatoes
• 5 oz Spinach
• 8 oz Mushrooms
• 16 oz Pasta
• 6 oz Pesto
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Basil
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• Optional: Parmesan Cheese

Materials:

• Skillet
• Medium pot
• Knives
• Spoons
• Spatula
• Large mixing Spoon
• Strainer
• Mixing bowls
• Heat safe bowl
• Cutting board

Step by Step:

• Preparing the Chicken-
  • Dice the chicken breast horizontally and vertically to make a bit size piece of meet.
  • Heat the skillet on medium heat
  • Add around 2 tbsp of vegetable oil into the skillet
  • Place the chicken into the pan and begin stirring
  • Add roughly a pinch to 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, basil, salt, and pepper
  • Cook chicken until the middle is completely white
  • Remove chicken from the skillet
  • Place in a heat safe bowl
  • Leave the left over juice in the pan to help flavor the vegetables
• Preparing the Vegetables
  • Mushrooms
    • Be sure to wash the mushrooms
    • If mushrooms are not already diced, cut them vertically into roughly fourths
    • Place into the skillet and begin cooking
  • Grape Tomatoes
    • Wash the tomatoes
    • Dice the tomatoes in half
    • Place into skillet and begin cooking
  • Spinach
    • Requires no preparation
  • Allow the mushrooms and tomatoes to cook until they are almost done
  • Begin adding the spinach slowly (about half a bag or as much as needed)
  • Finally, once all vegetables have finished cooking, add 1 tsp onion powder and mix well
• Preparing the Pasta
  • In a medium size pot, fill  half way full with water
  • Place the water on the stove
  • Allow it to cook on high until the water begins to boil
  • Place the whole box of pasta into the bowling water
  • Cook for roughly 12 minutes or until the noodles are to the texture of your liking.
• Preparing the Final Dish
  • Place the chicken and vegetables back into the skillet together
  • Allow the two to heat back up and cook for a few minutes together (around 4 minutes)
  • Place the pasta into a large mixing bowl
  • Add the vegetables and chicken into the mixing bowl with the pasta
  • Stir the mixture together
  • Add one can of pesto (or as much as needed)
  • Mix together
  • Place a serving size into a bowl and top with parmesan cheese

Reviews:   ratings 1-10 (10 being outstanding)

• Taste-  10   The pesto past has a rich taste. The sauce is not too empowering and keeps the meal     feeling light in comparison to other pasta dishes with a heavier sauce.
• Mouth Feel/ Consistency- 10   The consistency is similar to most other pasta dishes. As long as the individual enjoys all vegetables in the dish, there should be no issue with the feeling of the pasta in the mouth.
• Smell- 10  This dish has a rich aroma. There are a bunch of different flavors in the pasta, so it is sure to make your kitchen smell super appetizing.
• Visual Appeal- 7  Pesto pasta has potential to be a pretty dish. If the pasta is placed in the dish first followed by the sauce, vegetables, and parmesan cheese, the dish has a cleaner look. In the picture above, the pasta was already mixed together. While it taste AMAZING, the green look of the pasta may not have as pretty of an appearance.
• Creativity- 8

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Uncategorized by vndunn