146.2...Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

July 14, 2015

146.2...Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Here’s a pasta dish for you that is not your typical “red sauce” pasta. Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is a delicious, unique pasta dish that is hearty and comforting at the same time.

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Serves 4)

Recipe adapted from Julia’s Album

Ingredients:

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 small jar (3-4 oz.) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Salt & pepper

Pinch of paprika

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 oz. penne pasta

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)

1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)

Directions:

1. Drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, reserving 2 Tbsp. of this oil.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and set aside.

3. In a large pan, on medium-high heat, add reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Add chicken, paprika and salt and pepper to taste to pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes, remove to a plate. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to pan and sauté for 1 minute.

4. To the pan, add half and half and cheese and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat, add chicken back to pan. Add basil and red pepper flakes and simmer and cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.

5. Add cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Season pasta with salt, pepper and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.

Printable Recipe

I made a salad to go along with the pasta and it was a great meal! Some crusty bread would have been good too! ;)

Breakfast:

Still not old.

After dropping the kids off at camp, I went to the gym. There wasn’t a class that corresponded to my schedule so I suffered for an hour on the stair climber and treadmill.

Then it was off to the La Jolla Community Center for a cooking class with Phillis Carey! My favorite instructor from Great News has found a new spot to teach so I thought I’d try it out. Instead of a class with 50 people, this location holds 16. I did enjoy the much more intimate setting and could really see everything as it happened.

The class was called Summertime Grilling. The first recipe was Lemon and Dill Marinated Salmon with Feta along with Spinach Rice with Lemon and Dill:

Both were amazing. The marinade on the salmon was delicious and the rice was outstanding. The rice is a perfect side dish for any type of protein you are making with Greek style flavors.

Next up was Garlic and Basil Rubbed Chicken Breasts with Caprese Salsa. Up close: