Tag: pasta

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve made pasta for more than just one. But, that is exactly what I decided to do tonight – and, man oh man, did it hit the spot! It was a hit with everyone – and this is one that will definitely be making it into our normal rotation!

I started by prepping the ingredients – cubing the chicken, cutting the bacon and the asparagus.

I cooked the bacon first. Once it was done, I removed it from the pan and set it aside.

Then I added in the chicken and the umami seasoning and cooked it until the chicken was almost done. There is just something about cooking chicken in bacon fat – you just can’t go wrong!

Finally I added in the asparagus and sauted it for a few minutes.

Then I added in the chicken stock, salt and pepper – and allowed this to cook, covered, until the chicken was fully done and the asparagus had started to soften.

To finish the sauce, I added in the heavy cream and the parmesan cheese. I stirred the mixture well, allowing the cheese to melt.

While working on the sauce, I cooked the pasta (in well salted water!) until it was about 1/2 done. After the cheese had melted in the sauce, I added the pasta to the skillet, along with about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

The dish then cooked until the pasta was fully done and the sauce thickened.

Just before serving, I added in the bacon and mixed it through.

This was a delicious meal and one that I know we’ll repeat time and again!

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into smaller pieces
1 box pasta (a short pasta will work best)
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 – 3/4 cup pasta water
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp umami seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

  • Prep chicken by cutting into 1 inch cubes
  • Prep asparagus by cutting into 1 inch pieces
  • Prep bacon by cutting into small pieces
  • Cook bacon and remove from pan
  • Add chicken to pan and season with umami seasoning, cook until almost done
  • Add in the asparagus and saute for a few minutes
  • Add in the chicken stock, salt and pepper – cover and cook until chicken is well done and asparagus is starting to get tender
  • Add in the heavy cream
  • Add in the parmesan cheese and melt
  • Cook pasta in well salted water, until it is about 1/2 way done
  • Add pasta to the pan, along with 1/2 – 3/4 cup of pasta water
  • Cook until the pasta has finished cooking and the sauce has thickened
  • Add bacon in at last minute
by Michelle

Easy Salmon and Pasta for One

One night last week, I found myself home alone – needing only to cook for one. Of course, for me, this means pasta 90% of the time. What can I say? I love pasta – so easy (and super easy to cook for 1)!

I had some salmon fillets in the freezer that I thought would work well (single serve and easy to cook in the oven). You could certainly use any salmon fillet – but, I used these by Gorton’s, since I had them on hand.

While the salmon was cooking in the oven, I was deciding what I would do with the pasta. I had some cherry tomatoes and spinach. And, lemon was an obvious addition, given that I was eating salmon.

I halved the tomatoes and chopped the spinach (I didn’t have baby spinach) and removed any stems.

Both were put in a hot skillet, with a little bit of avocado oil, salt and pepper. Once the spinach was wilted and the tomatoes were warmed through, I added the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

I dished up a serving of cooked spaghetti, added the cooked salmon and topped with the veggies.

A quick and easy (and delicious) meal for one!

Easy Salmon and Pasta for One

Cooked salmon fillet (use fillet of choice, I used a bake in the oven Gorton’s fillet)
Single serving of cooked spaghetti
Handful of fresh spinach, chopped
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Avocado oil spray

  • Cook salmon, per package and set aside
  • Cook a single serving of pasta, set aside
  • Chop spinach and halve tomatoes
  • In hot skillet, with avocado oil, wilt spinach and warm tomatoes through
  • Add juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • Plate spaghetti, top with salmon filet and add the vegetables on top

by Michelle

Mushroom and Asparagus Spaghetti

I think I’ve mentioned before – we can always eat pasta. It tends to be a go to. What’s not to love – easy and delicious and so many possibilities.

Today’s pasta started with me looking to see what veggies we had in the veggie drawer (seems like we’ve been eating a lot of meat lately, so a meatless meal seemed appropriate). Asparagus and mushrooms – two of my faves! With that, I decided to use spaghetti pasta and make a cream sauce.

I started by chopping and slicing the veggies.

In a skillet, I added some butter and garlic and allowed it to cook for a bit.

Then I added in the asparagus, first, as it takes longer to soften – followed by the mushrooms.

I had some chicken stock opened in the refrigerator, so I used that as the base for the sauce. If you wanted to go vegetarian, you could certainly use a vegetable stock (or even just some of the water from the pasta). For me, I could never do this dish vegan, though – I need the cheese!

I allowed the stock to come to a boil, then reduced the heat and added in the cream. I also added some romano cheese, which helps the sauce to thicken, as well.

Once the sauce had thickened a bit, I tossed in the pasta and stirred it well. Finally, I topped it with more Romano cheese.

This pasta was served hot (and, with a little more cheese – yes, I love Romano cheese!)

Mushroom and Asparagus Spaghetti

8-10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
12-15 spears of asparagus, chopped
Spaghetti noodles, cooked
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp Umami seasoning
Romano cheese (grated finely)

  • Cook pasta (I used enough for 4 -5 servings), set aside
  • In skillet, melt butter and add garlic – cook for a few minutes
  • Add in the asparagus (and seasonings) and let it cook for about 4 minutes, then add in the mushrooms and cook for another 8 minutes
  • Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil
  • Once boil is achieved, reduce heat and add in cream
  • Grate some romano on top of sauce (maybe 3 tbsp) and mix through
  • Allow sauce to simmer until it thickens some
  • Toss in pasta, then add more Romano cheese, as desired
by Michelle

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

It is no secret that the girls and I love pasta! We, generally, eat it at least once a week and we like to try different combinations of flavors. But, one that we always love is alfredo sauce – with shrimp or chicken or alone, we love alfredo sauce!

This time it was chicken alfredo. You, truly, can’t get much simpler than alfredo sauce. Unless you’re getting fancy, there are only 4 ingredients in it – not counting seasonings – milk or cream (we like it with heavy cream – I know it isn’t the healthiest, but it’s what we like!), butter, garlic and parmesan cheese.

I started this recipe by cooking my chicken. I tossed it, lightly, in a mixture of flour and Umami seasoning. I added it to the pan, along with some garlic, and browned it (cooking it 3/4 of the way through) in a pan with some avocado oil and removed it from the pan.

While the chicken was cooking, I chopped up some fresh broccoli for the sauce. I steamed this in a steamer basked in my pasta pot.

Back to the sauce – after removing the chicken from the pan I turned down the heat to medium-low and melted the butter. Once the butter was melted, I lowered the heat to low and added in the cream and allowed it to heat through.

Once the cream was warmed through, I started adding in the cheese, 1/4 cup at a time and stirring constantly. I find that adding the cheese a little bit at a time helps with ensuring that all of the cheese melts – and you don’t have globs of cheese in your sauce.

Once all of the cheese had been incorporated and melted, I added the chicken back into the pan and stirred.

Then I added in the broccoli from the steamer basket.

And, finally, I added in the pasta. I mixed everything together and it was ready to go.

When serving it, we add a little more parmesan (have I mentioned that we love cheese?) and we’re ready to eat!

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pasta

1 box pasta (I used penne)
2-3 chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
2 tbsp garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (don’t judge!)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
2 tbsp butter
2-3 cups broccoli
1-2 tbsp Umami seasoning
2-4 tbsp Flour
Avocado oil spray

  • In a gallon bag, toss chicken with umami seasoning and flour to lighty coat the chicken (adjust amounts depending on how much chicken you are cooking)
  • In hot pan, add avocado oil, garlic and chicken – cook until chicken is 3/4 way done. Remove from pan.
  • Add butter to pan and melt
  • Reduce heat and add cream to pan
  • Once cream is warmed through, add in cheese 1/2 cup at a time – until all cheese has been added and is melted.
  • Return chicken to pan and stir with sauce.
  • Add broccoli and pasta to sauce, mix well.
  • Top with more parmesan cheese, if desired, and enjoy!
by Michelle

Vegetable Pasta for One (and change)

I love the days that I work from home, because it means that I can have something fresh cooked for lunch. I do love my leftovers, but it is nice to get my lunch out of a pan or a pot, rather than the microwave, when I can.

Today was a work from home day! Enter a delicious pasta meal for one (if you’re REALLY hungry) or two moderately hungry people. Having skipped breakfast, I was REALLY hungry!

I decided on some simple ingredients: pasta, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, lemon, store bought pesto sauce and seasonings.

I started by boiling my pasta and chopping up some artichoke hearts and slicing some cherry tomatoes (I love both of these foods, so much). They would be good added, as is, but I wanted to cook them up just a little bit in a pan to heighten the flavors.

The vegetables were added to a pan, after spraying a little bit of avocado spray and cooking some minced garlic a bit.

After the vegetables cooked for a while, I added the liquids (cream and lemon juice) to create a light sauce.

The next step was just to toss the cooked pasta in the skillet and mix it all together.

Finally, the pasta was topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Easy, quick and delicious lunch for one!

Vegetable Pasta for one (and change)

1 serving of pasta (I used spaghetti)
10-15 cherry tomatoes (halved)
2-3 artichoke hearts (from jar)
1 tbsp pesto sauce
cooking spray / oil (I use avocado spray oil)
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon (depending on how much you like – I used a whole lemon)
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese
Fresh basil

  • Boil pasta as directed, until al dente
  • Spray skillet with a small amount of cooking
  • Put a small amount of cooking spray / oil in pan
  • Add garlic and cook for a few minutes
  • Add tomatoes and artichokes to pan and cook about 5 min
  • Add salt and pepper (just a pinch of each, or to taste)
  • Add cream and warm through
  • Add lemon juice and allow to cook 2 – 3 min
  • Toss in pasta
  • Top with parmesan cheese and basil and serve
by Michelle