Pasta Alla Stacy

Since I finally got to break Passover last night at sundown, I decided to do it with a vengeance: mounds of pasta!

I love this pasta dish because it is very tasty and isn't swimming in sauce. I used ingredients I had in the fridge, but feel free to add some of your own favorite veggies as well. This recipe makes enough for two or more meals, and it's great reheated.

Mazel Tov!




Ingredients:

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast. Shrimp also works great in this pasta if you have some.

• 1/2 box of penne. Feel free to use whole wheat pasta if you can stomach the texture.

• 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained. Diced Italian seasoned tomatoes work great as well.

• 1/2 package sliced white mushrooms

• 1 small onion, minced

• 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 1 cup frozen peas. No need to thaw. I use frozen because they taste great, are easy to store, and don't have that weird flavor that canned peas have.

• 1 big handful of spinach leaves, torn. A great way to get rid of leftover spinach that's getting kinda wilted in the fridge!

• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning, divided. Meaning you won't use it all at once. Duh.

• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• Chopped fresh basil for garnish. Optional.

Directions:

Prep time! Mince up your onion, slice your mushrooms if you did not buy them pre-sliced, dice up your chicken into bite sized cubes, and chop up your garnish herbs if you are using them.





Put on a pot o' water to boil for the penne. Make sure to salt the water a bit to make it boil faster and flavor the pasta! When it's done boiling you can go ahead and add the pasta, but while you wait you can get started on your next steps.




Heat a sautee pan to medium high. Add your olive oil to heat up for a minute, then add your chicken cubes and onions.




When onions start to become translucent, add your sliced mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle and toss with 1/2 tbsp. of the Italian seasoning.




When your chicken is mostly cooked (no pink on the outside, but still sorta squishy) and your mushrooms and onions are soft, go ahead and stir in the balsamic vinegar. This is the secret weapon!




Let the balsamic cook for a minute and then add the can of drained tomatoes, the spinach, the frozen peas, and the rest of the Italian seasoning.




Let the whole mixture simmer at medium low, stirring occasionally, until your penne is done cooking and the chicken is completely cooked through. Drain and pour the penne into a big bowl or container and toss with the chicken and sauce mixture and the feta cheese. Garnish with the fresh herbs, and enjoy!