Tuesday, January 13, 2009

anytime pasta

From the past entries you are now aware of the way the grocery store spoils me these days with those boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I keep them on hand all the time. Usually along with ground turkey as well.
So when it comes time to make a quick and simple, no-brainer kind of dinner, I pull out a box of pasta, pull out the poultry and get cookin’.
This is the everyday, anytime, whenever/whatever pasta dish that is so completely satisfying and nourishing, you couldn’t expect anything more.
The mix of the potatoes and the pasta together may come off as a bit odd. Carb-fest, anyone? But maybe you could just think of it as a leftover-Thanksgiving kind of meal.
And who doesn’t love turkey day leftovers?
Oh, yes. You know you do.
This really is just nice. A pasta dish should be nice and comforting. And spaghetti dishes specifically should be that perfect bite that I twirl around my fork and pop into my mouth, getting that juicy burst of buttery sauce. And not literally butter here, but that rich, creamy mouthfeel. I don’t know. It’s how I feel about pasta sauces and how I feel about this pasta dish.
Of course any pasta shape will do here, but I just love a good bowl of spaghetti every now and then.
How could you not?



Spaghetti with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
we're pretty big pasta eaters around here so a 1/2 lb of spaghetti works pretty well for us two gals. but of course, four can easily be fed with this amount just the same.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or ground poultry, if you prefer)
oil
salt, pepper
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
pinch dried oregano

½ lb spaghetti

Parmesan, for sprinkling

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cube chicken breasts and drop into hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and brown. Remove from pot.
2. Add in onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for about 2 minutes. Add in sweet potatoes and saute 2 more minutes.
3. Add in tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, oregano, and browned chicken. Bring heat down and let simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water and drop in the pasta. Cook until al dente (oooh, fancy), around 7 - 8 minutes.
5. Drain and drop into the sauce. Mix all together and serve up with a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

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