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Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Cavatappi

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Cavatappi

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with Parmesan & Scallions

Yield: 2

Pan-roasted chicken strips seasoned with Italian herbs, springy cavatappi spirals, a creamy sauce, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and scallions.
Prep: 5 Cook: 25

  • 4oz button mushrooms
  • 6oz cavatappi pasta
  • 4oz cream sauce base
  • 2scallions
  • 1clove garlic
  • 10oz chicken breast strips
  • 1TBS Italian seasoning
  • 1oz mushroom stock concentrate
  • 3TBS Parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • 2tsp olive oil
  • 2TBS butter

Prep:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Trim and thinly slice mushrooms (skip if your mushrooms are pre-sliced!). Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince or grate garlic.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

Cook pasta:

Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.

Cook mushrooms:

Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil and 1 TBS butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 2- to 3-minutes.

Push mushrooms to one side of pan, add another drizzle of olive oil to empty side.

Cook chicken:

While mushrooms cook, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Once mushrooms are browned and softened, add chicken to empty side of pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned and cooked through, 4- to 6-minutes.

Stir in scallion whites and garlic, cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Make sauce:

Add cream sauce base and stock concentrate to pan. Stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish & serve:

Add drained cavatappi, half the Parmesan, and 1 TBS butter to pan, toss to coat. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Divide between bowls, top with scallion greens and remaining Parmesan. Serve.

Southwest Beef Cavatappi or Macaroni

Southwest Beef Cavatappi or Macaroni

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with Poblano & Smoky Red Pepper Crema

Yield: 2

Southwestern-meets-Italian inspired skillet supper with bold flavors. Twisty cavatappi, bites of flavorful ground beef, and sautéed poblano, topped with a Mexican cheese blend, smokey red pepper crema, bright sour cream, and hot sauce for a little kick. A sprinkle of scallion greens adds a pop of color.

Gayle isn’t a fan of the cavatappi (too thick), so we will normally use macaroni.
Prep: 5 Cook: 35

  • 1poblano pepper
  • 2scallions
  • 6oz cavatappi or macaroni pasta
  • 10oz ground beef
  • 1TBS southwest spice blend (see below)
  • 1½oz tomato paste
  • 1heaping tsp beef stock concentrates
  • 2TBS sour cream
  • 4TBS smoky red pepper crema (see below)
  • ½cup Mexican cheese blend
  • 1tsp hot sauce
  • 1TBS cooking oil
  • 2TBS butter

Prep:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Halve, de-seed, and thinly slice poblano into strips. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.

Cook pasta & poblano:

Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add poblano and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.

Cook beef:

Add a drizzle of oil to pan with poblano. Add beef, scallion whites, and Southwest Spice, season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.

Tip: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.

Add tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until combined, 30 seconds

Make sauce:

Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water and stock concentrates to pan with beef mixture. Season with ½ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Finish pasta:

Reduce heat to low and stir in drained cavatappi, sour cream, smoky red pepper crema, half the Mexican cheese (you’ll use the rest in the next step), 1 TBS butter, and hot sauce to taste.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

Finish & serve:

Top beef cavatappi with remaining Mexican cheese; cover pan until cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Divide between bowls; top with scallion greens and serve.

Southwest Spice Blend

  • 4parts garlic powder 2 tsp
  • 2parts cumin ¾ tsp
  • 2parts chili powder ¾ tsp

Smoky Red Pepper Crema

  • 1Red Bell Pepper
  • ½cup Sour Cream
  • ½tsp Lemon Juice
  • ¼tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼tsp Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 400ᵒF.

Roast bell pepper whole for 40 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes to evenly roast.

Remove bell pepper from oven. Place on plate and cover for 20 minutes to self-steam.

Peel, remove stem, and de-seed bell pepper.

Puree bell pepper flesh, sour cream, kosher salt, and smoked paprika in a blender until smooth.