Readers of this blog will know that this household is on a quest for low fat but highly flavorful dishes that don’t require the stocking of tofu or birdseed in our pantry. I don’t want to change the kinds of foods we eat (ok, minus the cream and butter) but I do want to change how much and how it is prepared.
So the other day I had grilled some zucchini and marinated chicken for our dinner. I had both leftover and wanted to turn it into something else. Readers may also know that I HATE leftovers. If I cook it and eat it I don’t want to see it again, at least not in its original form. So I was pondering what to do with this leftover chicken and zucchini when inspiration smacked me upside the head…(this would, by the way, work equally well with leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
Pasta with Grilled Chicken, Zucchini and Stuff
1 lb fresh pasta ( I used angel hair)
3 small zucchini, cut into 1/2″ planks, marinated and grilled, then cut into chunks
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinated and grilled, then cut into strips
1 small bunch of fresh spinach, stems removed, washed really well and cut into strips
1 shallot, julienned
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
6-8 leaves of fresh basil, chiffonaded (cut into very fine strips or ribbons)
1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. In a large sautee pan add the olive oil, garlic and shallot. Cook over medium heat until the shallot is tender and the garlic is aromatic. Add the spinach, parsley and basil. Cook until the spinach has just wilted. Add the chicken, tomatoes, zucchini and lemon juice and heat through. Turn off the heat.
2. Cook the pasta as per directions on the package. Reserve 1 cup of the water and add it to spinach mixture, drain the rest and add the noodles to the spinach mixture. Add the pine nuts and season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss it all together then serve with fresh parmesan cheese.
*You could use just about any mixture of veggies in this dish. Other good choices would be eggplant, roasted peppers, chard, grilled mushrooms and onions…whatever is leftover in the fridge!
