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Pasta with Chicken, Spinach, and Artichoke

Pasta with Chicken, Spinach, and Artichoke

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Yield: 2 Servings

Adapted from: Delish

A play on spinach artichoke dip turned into a pasta dish with chicken.

Note: First, I really liked this. Second, we think it could be improved some. The sauce was on the thick side. A bit more pasta water could have thinned it, but there could also be more sauce, so increase the sauce ingredients next time. I also used heavy cream instead of milk. But I thought I added enough water to fix that. The spinach is cooked first, but it should have been last, or cooked right in the sauce before the final mix.

  • 6oz rigatoni or similar pasta
  • 1TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1cloves garlic, minced
  • 2cups baby spinach
  • 115-oz can artichoke hearts, quartered
  • 12oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • salt & black pepper
  • 2TBS butter
  • 1TBS AP flour
  • ½-1cup chicken broth
  • ½-1cup milk (or cream)
  • ½cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¼cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish


Prep:

Tenderize chicken breast with a jacquard, then slice into bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta:

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.

Reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain the remaining water.

Cook chicken:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 TBS oil. Add garlic and chicken to skillet. Cook until chicken is golden and nearly cooked through. Remove to bowl.

Finish:
To skillet, add butter and let melt. Add flour and whisk until golden, 1 minute, then add broth, milk or cream, mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir in artichokes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add in the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted, 2 minutes.

Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss with sauce until coated. Return chicken to the skillet and toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water to obtain desired consistency.

Remove to serving bowl and serve.

Community Group Pasta

Community Group Pasta

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with Chicken, Broccoli, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Cream Sauce 😊

Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 1994: This started as a church potluck meal, and it still works well 30 years later. It also makes a nice, simple family meal.
Updated to describe the version served at 28-Sep-23 Community Group.
You can use your imagination on this and replace the chicken with shrimp, sausage or beef. Also any pasta and vegetables can be used. Just be sure to barely cook it to al dente so it doesn’t get too soft in the assembly.

Chicken:

  • 2TBS cooking oil, divided
  • 1lb chicken breasts, boneless skinless
  • salt & freshly ground pepper
  • 1-2tsp Italian seasoning
  • 8oz Rotini, Penne, etc.
  • 8oz broccoli, small florets

Assembly:

  • 2TBS garlic, minced
  • 1cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, oil reserved
  • 2TBS oil from sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1-2TBS butter
  • ½cup reserved pasta cooking liquid
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • 1-2tsp dried basil or Italian seasoning
  • ½cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • salt & pepper
  • 1TBS Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

For serving:

  • Parmesan cheese shredded


Cook broccoli and pasta:

Bring one gallon of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 TBS salt and broccoli. Cook until starting to soften (about 2 minutes), remove to a bowl of ice water with a spider.

Return water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until just al dente, a minute or two less than manufacturer’s directions. Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain and set pasta aside.

Cook chicken:

While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Season chicken with salt and pepper and a good sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Be generous.

Heat a TBS each of reserved sun-dried tomato oil and cooking oil until hot in large sauté pan. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through. About 2-3 minutes. You should get some nicely browned pieces. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Assembly:

Return empty pasta pot to medium heat, add a TBS each of reserved sun-dried tomato oil and cooking oil. Add 2 TBS of minced garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil or Italian seasoning, stir and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking liquid and cooked chicken to pan and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Return pasta and broccoli to pot. Mix.

Add cream and 1-2 TBS butter. Mix and heat until hot and pasta is well coated. You can add more pasta cooking water if needed.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve:
Transfer to a serving dish and top with parsley.

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

We served this with a tossed green salad with Italian dressing and Cheesecake Factory dark bread, followed by Hermit Cookies with vanilla ice cream.

Marsala Mushroom Chicken Skillet

Marsala Mushroom Chicken Skillet

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with Broccoli and Peas

Yield: 2 Servings

Chicken & mushrooms with a creamy Marsala sauce mixed with broccoli and peas served with pasta.

Needed more sauce, so all of the sauce ingredients below are now doubled.

  • 6oz noodles
  • 6oz cremini mushrooms
  • 1shallot
  • 6oz broccoli florets
  • 12oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1TBS flour
  • 6oz dry Marsala wine
  • 8oz light cream
  • 2tsp chicken Better than Bouillon
  • 2oz peas
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Prepare the Ingredients:

Cut mushrooms into ¼-inch slices.

Peel and halve shallot. Slice thinly.

Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces.

Pat chicken breasts dry and, on a separate cutting board, cut into 1″ dice. Season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Place diced chicken and flour in a mixing bowl and toss to coat.

Noodles:

Bring a gallon of water to a boil. Add 1 TBS salt, stir and add noodles. Cook as directed on box.

Sear the Chicken:

Place a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add chicken to hot pan and stir occasionally until seared on two sides, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Chicken will finish cooking in a later step. Keep pan over medium-high heat.

Cook the Vegetables

Add 2 tsp olive oil, mushrooms, and shallot to hot pan and stir occasionally until lightly browned, 2-4 minutes.

Add Marsala and stir occasionally until mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in cream, broccoli, 2 oz water, demi-glace, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper until combined.

Finish the Skillet

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, stir occasionally until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, 6-7 minutes.

Add peas and stir until warmed through, 1 minute.

Serve:

You can mix the pasta into the skillet and get it all coated or serve over the pasta. Divide between plates.

Pasta with Shrimp & Broccoli

Pasta with Shrimp & Broccoli

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Yield: 2
Scott Nowell

A simple pasta with shrimp and broccoli. Easy and flavorful, it only takes about 30 minutes to put together.

  • 12shrimp (21-25), defrosted if frozen
  • 8oz penne, rotini or other pasta
  • 1head broccoli, trimmed into small florets
  • 4TBS extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4TBS butter
  • 4-6large cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • ½cup dry white wine
  • fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped fine
  • 1pinch red chili flakes
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, add 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente. DO NOT DRAIN. Use a spider to remove the pasta to a bowl. Stir a couple of TBS of olive oil into the pasta. Reserve a half cup of pasta water and set aside.

Add the broccoli to the boiling water. Cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, chill with cold water and set aside.

Return the pot to the burner and reduce heat to medium.

Add 4 TBS butter to the pot and melt. Add the garlic to the pan. Sizzle until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Add the prawns and a pinch of salt and cook until pink on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Return the pasta, broccoli, shrimp, red pepper flakes and the half cup of reserved pasta water to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes so the water reduces.

Add the basil, mix and add more olive oil to taste.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pasta Seafood DiScottio

Pasta Seafood DiScottio

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Yield: 2 Servings (can be doubled)
Scott Nowell

Pasta Jay’s in Boulder serves a dish called Seafood DiStefano on their Friday night specials list. Shrimp, crab and scallops, served over linguine with white clam sauce.
This is my version, modified to be a one-pot dish. You can change the seafood items to include some fish, lobster, etc. Be sure to add them in the appropriate order to get them cooked through.
Also note that the ingredients have been adjusted to serve two. Double, triple, etc. as needed. This dish cooks very quick, so it is important to cook the pasta and any optional vegetables first.

21-Apr-20, 22-Aug-20, 30-Oct-24

Pasta:

  • 4-6oz linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti
  • 1medium head of broccoli or other green vegetable (optional)

Aromatics:

  • 1TBS olive oil
  • 1TBS butter
  • ¼cup minced or thinly sliced garlic
  • ¼cup red onion, chopped, minced or sliced
  • 2tsp flour
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Sauce:

  • ½cup white wine
  • ½cup pasta cooking water
  • 1generous tsp chicken Better Than Bouillon

Seafood/Finish:

  • 110 oz can of baby clams, NOT drained
  • 6peeled and deveined shrimp (16/20 or 21/25)
  • 6sea scallops
  • 6oz lump crab meat
  • ¼cup Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated
  • 1TBS fresh chopped parsley


Pasta: Add the pasta to one gallon of boiling salted water and cook to barely al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water. Remove pasta to oiled bowl and set aside. 

Optional Green Vegetable: If adding and a green vegetable like broccoli, cook it to al dente in the pasta water. Drain and remove to the bowl with the pasta. Return pasta pot to medium high heat.

Aromatics: In the pasta pan add 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter over med high heat until butter melted. Add ¼ cup garlic and ¼ cup red onion and sauté for a minute. Sprinkle over about 2 tsp of flour. Stir to tighten. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Sauce: To the aromatics, add ½ cup white wine, reserved ½ cup of pasta cooking water, generous teaspoon of Chicken Better Than Bouillon and stir to dissolve Better Than Bouillon. Boil for a few minutes until reduced to about ¾ cup. Add the undrained can of baby clams, scallops, shrimp, crab and/or other seafood as desired. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp and scallops are almost cooked.

Finish: Return the cooked pasta and optional green vegetable to the pot. Stir to mix well and coat pasta with sauce. Add the Parmesan and stir. Mix in 1 TBS fresh chopped parsley. Check and adjust seasoning.

Plate, top with additional parsley and Parmesan and serve.

Chuck Roast Bolognese

Chuck Roast Bolognese

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Yield: 6 Servings
Adapted from Tom Hirschfeld

One pan pasta bake.  Dry pasta cooks right in the sauce in a covered pan in the oven.

  • olive oil
  • 1lb well-marbled chuck roast, cut into very small cubes, or ground beef
  • Kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1cup diced onion
  • ½cup diced carrots
  • ½cup diced celery
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 1tsp dried rosemary
  • ½tsp dried thyme
  • ½tsp dried oregano
  • ½tsp dried basil
  • 1cup red wine
  • 2cups beef stock or water
  • 1cup strained tomatoes
  • 1-2TBS milk or cream (optional)
  • 1lb sturdy pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, farfalle
  • Parmesan, grated for garnish
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Heat oven to 350°F.

Heat a 14-inch sauté pan (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the olive oil, swirl the pan and add the beef. Season it with a healthy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir and brown it on all sides.

Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs, and stir.

Add the red wine and let it reduce to a tablespoon or so.

Add the tomatoes, 2 cups of water, and the dairy (if using). Stir, taste, and add salt and pepper as necessary. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the pasta. Shake the pan to spread the pasta evenly across the pan, and bring it all back to a boil.

Put a lid on it, place it into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven, remove the lid, stir and taste a piece of the pasta. If it is still crunchy, put the lid back onto the pan and put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the pasta from the oven. Top with lots of Parmesan and parsley and serve.

Shrimp Wannahavit

Shrimp Wannahavit

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Spur of the moment special. Basically, pasta with shrimp and asparagus with a cream sauce. Feel free to substitute any pasta, green vegetable or protein. Chicken or Kielbasa are nice substitutes.

Pasta:

  • 8oz Farfalle (bow tie pasta) or similar

Protein:

  • 2lb 16/20 (or 21/25) Shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed (substitute 1½ to 2 lbs sliced chicken breast, 1-2 Kielbasa sliced 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, etc.)

Vegetable:

  • 1bunch asparagus (substitute green beans, broccoli, etc.)

Wannahavit:

  • 1cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • 1medium shallot, minced
  • 2-4cloves garlic, minced, about 1 heaping TBS
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • ½-¾cup shredded parmigiana cheese
  • salt and pepper

Get your mese together! Mise en place that is. Cut, trim and measure everything before you start cooking.

Season shrimp (or chicken) with salt and pepper. Do not season Kielbasa.

Prep and blanch green vegetable: Cut the wooden bottom 2 to 3 inches from asparagus and discard. Peel the next two to three inches of the asparagus and then cut into thirds or quarters to make bite size pieces. For fresh green beans, trim ends and cut into 2-inch lengths.

In your favorite pasta pot, bring a gallon of water to boil over high heat. Add 1 TBS salt to the boiling water and stir.

Blanch the green vegetable for 2 to 3 minutes in boiling water to desired consistency, remove with a spider or sieve and plunge into ice water. Set aside.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Stir and cook to package directions for al dente.

Reserve: 1 cup of pasta cooking water and then drain pasta.

Sauté shrimp and vegetable: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 TBS butter and melt until foaming. When the foaming stops add 1 TBS olive oil and swirl to mix. Add shrimp and minced shallot, reduce heat to medium and cook about 2 minutes on one side until slightly browned. Flip shrimp over and cook for another 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Mix and remove shrimp mixture to bowl including any oil in the pan. If using chicken, make sure it is cooked through. Kielbasa should be nicely browned.

Return skillet to heat and add another TBS of olive oil. Add the blanched green vegetable and cook for 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, mix and cover the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. If the pasta isn’t ready yet, remove to bowl with shrimp.

Assembly: Turn heat down to medium and return pasta to its pan and add reserved shrimp, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. Add a TBS or olive oil or two if needed. Pour in 1 cup heavy cream, and the grated parmigiana cheese. Mix well until heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. It will probably need about a teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper. If the sauce is to thin, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water and mix until you get the desired consistency.

Mix, serve.

Fettucine with Shrimp & Sun-dried Tomatoes

Fettucine with Shrimp & Sun-dried Tomatoes

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Yield: 2 to 3 Servings
Scott Nowell

2016: This is a great tasting combination that is easy to put together. It’s titled Fettucine, but any pasta would be fine.

  • 6oz fettuccine, (any kind of pasta will work)
  • 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved.
  • ½packet unflavored gelatin
  • ¼cup water
  • 5-6cloves minced garlic
  • ½cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • handful of green beans, frozen or blanched.
  • olive oil
  • 2TBS butter

Start water boiling for pasta.

Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup water in a small cup to bloom.

Shrimp stock:  Meanwhile, sauté shrimp shells in a teaspoon of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet. Sauté for a couple of minutes until shells are pink. Add a cup of water and a bay leaf to the pan. Bring to a medium boil. Boil until water reaches boil. Pour through a strainer into small bowl. Pour gelatin mixture into bowl with shrimp stock and stir well.

Add salt to taste to pasta water. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Shrimp: Add a TBS of olive oil to skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté for a minute or so on each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes to skillet and saute for a minute or two. Remove from heat.

When pasta is nearly done, add a handful of green beans to pasta water and return to boil. Drain and return to pan over medium heat.

Add shrimp stock to pasta and beans. Bring to a boil and stir. Add shrimp and tomatoes to pasta. Add butter, stir, remove from heat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.

Serve.

Carelli’s Scoozi

Carelli’s Scoozi

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Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from Carelli’s Restaurant, Boulder, Colorado

March 2008: This very popular dish from Carelli’s in Boulder was featured in the cooking pages of the Boulder Camera. I’ve had it at the restaurant and made it a few times at home.

  • 12oz farfalle pasta
  • 46 oz boneless chicken breasts
  • 2cups broccoli florets
  • 2cans artichoke hearts
  • 1cup canned artichoke juice
  • ½tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1cup dry white wine
  • 4TBS olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • Parmigiana, grated to taste.

Cook the pasta. Drain. The rest cooks fast, so you want the pasta ready.

Quarter cut the broccoli florets and the artichoke hearts.

Trim the chicken of all skin and fat, then thinly slice.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the broccoli and chicken with fresh ground pepper until the chicken is slightly brown on the outside.

Add the artichokes and the juice. Blend in quickly then add the wine.

Stirring frequently, cook over high heat until the chicken is cooked completely through.

Shut off heat, add pasta to sauté pan and mix to coat well.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and parmigiana to serve

Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes & Broccoli

Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes & Broccoli

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

August 2017: Needed to use up some cherry tomatoes. I turned them into an enhancement for a pasta casserole with some chicken and broccoli. Hmm, good.

  • 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, whole or cubed
  • 6-8oz pasta, penne, rotini, etc.
  • olive oil
  • 1-2pinches crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1shallot, minced
  • 2cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3-4cups broccoli florets

Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Set a large pot of water to boil. When it boils, add salt to taste. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Remove water from pasta and set aside. Add broccoli to water and cook for 2-3 minutes until it is mostly cooked. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Drain.

Heat a TBS of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until hot but not smoking.
Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side to brown. Reduce heat to medium and flip until cooked through. 160°F at thickest spot. Remove to cutting board and rest. Slice chicken to bite sized pieces.
If using cubed chicken, cook stirring occasionally until no longer pink in the middle of thickest piece.
Remove chicken from pan. Add another TBS of olive oil, minced shallot, tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Sauté until shallot starts to brown.
Add tomato mixture to pasta pot with drained broccoli. Add chicken and pasta to pot with two TBS of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. You can also add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to make it saucier. Mix well until heated through.