The best part of cooking is ad-libbing as I create new-to-me recipes (which is why I’ll never be a real baker), and I believe pasta to be the easiest and most delicious dish to improvise in the kitchen. Of course I love making my tried and true bolognese, but when I want to eat a red sauce meal that’s super quick and tasty, I’m going for this weeknight chicken and veggie pasta! Sometimes coming home after a long work day and immediately making dinner can be rough, so my chicken and veggie pasta has all the components of a fairly healthy 30 minute meal (so long as your veggies are easily prepped). The dish’s superstar ingredient is a Costco rotisserie chicken, which, when picked up right before the end of work, is still warm and juicy and flavors all of its costar elements. Buying a pre-made chicken cuts down on cooking time and adds another yummy taste to the barrage of veggies per chef’s choice. I picked my favorites: broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini, but the pasta would also be delicious with mushrooms, brine-y Kalamata olives (that would be more of a puttanesca), or even artichokes from the can. All that’s left is picking good quality crushed tomatoes for the sauce and boiling whatever noodles you see best! I went with rotini because I had leftovers in my pantry, but bucatini or orecchiette would be great too!
Ingredients:
- One bell pepper
- One zucchini
- One bag or one full head of broccoli
- 1/2 onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- Rotisserie chicken
- One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- One box pasta of choice (I used multicolor rotini)
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions:
- Dice onion into small chunks
- Slice bell pepper in strips and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Thinly slice and quarter zucchini
- Cut broccoli into small pieces
- Cut rotisserie chicken (I used almost one full breast and one thigh) into bite sized pieces
- Mince garlic
- Boil pasta as directed on the box
- Cook broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini in oil of choice until slightly softened
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Once veggies are cooked, add onion and cook until translucent
- Mix well
- Add garlic to chicken and veggie mixture
- Pour in cans of crushed and diced tomatoes
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes
- When pasta is barely al dente, add to sauce with one cup of pasta water to thin the mixture
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil and extra oregano before serving!
