Mediterranean penne with chicken
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Serves:
4 Servings
Serving Size:
2½ cups (625 mL)
Lunch
This veggie-packed pasta gets flavour from garlic, zucchini and tomatoes, both fresh and dried, along with herbs. Delicious served hot or cold the next day.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 200 g (about 2 cups) penne
- ¼ cup (60 mL) sundried tomatoes in oil
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) oil (from jar of sundried tomatoes)
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (125 mL) fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh basil or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) Parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) salt
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) black pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) pasta cooking water
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil
- 1 lb (454 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook penne according to time on package, removing 1 cup (250 mL) pasta water halfway through cooking.
- Combine sundried tomatoes and oil, garlic, parsley, basil, cheese, salt, pepper and pasta cooking water in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cooking about 3–4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Add onion, zucchini and eggplant and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in cherry tomatoes and blended sauce. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes, mashing cherry tomatoes with the back of your spoon.
- Drain pasta and toss into chicken and vegetable mixture. Serve hot.
Tips
- Nutrition know-how: Combining the protein from the chicken and fibre from the vegetables with a high-carbohydrate food like pasta helps to manage blood sugar response after the meal.
- Cooking know-how: Ingredients, such as sundried tomatoes, garlic, herbs and Parmesan cheese, add a lot of flavour without the need for too much salt.
| Amount | % Daily Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories 460 | |||
| Fat 15 g | 20 % | ||
| Saturated Fat 2.5 g + Trans Fat 0 g | 13 % | ||
| Cholesterol 60 mg | |||
| Sodium 420 mg | 18 % | ||
| Carbohydrate 50 g | |||
| Fibre 5 g | 18 % | ||
| Sugars 7 g | 7 % | ||
| Protein 33 g | |||
