If there’s one thing I love – it’s a meal that quick and easy. Spicy, savory, cheesy, and hearty are all adjectives that have my name written all over them. My spicy tomato cream pasta is just that. It starts with a simple sauce that uses garlic and onion as flavor bases. Then, for good measure some tomato paste is thrown in and cooked for a while. A can of crushed tomatoes, a touch of chicken stock and heavy cream, and fresh herbs round out the sauce. Then, I saute juicy pieces of tender chicken, toss in some sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the pasta and give it a toss until it’s gooey and cheesy. A little Parmesan on top along with fresh basil and you’ve got yourself a grade A dish.
1 pound of cooked pasta
1/2 pound of chicken breast, cut into bite sized cubes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh oregano
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
Parmesan cheese, to garnish
Fresh basil, to garnish
Directions
1. Saute chicken in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. In a separate pan, saute onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute until the onions are tender – this should take about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir so nothing sticks and everything cooks evenly.
3. To the onions and garlic, add the tomato paste, thyme, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Cook for about 60 seconds while stirring to ensure nothing sticks.
4. After the tomato paste has cooked out, add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and heavy cream, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture boils, reduce to a simmer and keep warm until it’s ready to be used.
5. To assemble the dish, add some sauce to the pan with the chicken. Toss in the pasta and cubes of mozzarella cheese. Let the heat of the sauce melt the cheese slightly. Garnish the whole dish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Facebook Comments
