Skip to main content

Speedy Chicken & Spinach Pasta


I whipped this up in about five minutes today for lunch, using leftovers I found in the fridge - half a Roma tomato, part of a bunch of spinach, some diced onion leftover from another recipe, leftover noodles from the other night and some rotisserie chicken.  It will take longer if you need to cook your noodles and/or chicken, but it will still be super fast, and really, really tasty. As always, I am guesstimating with my quantities, since I sort of scooped, sprinkled and tossed here.  Enjoy!


Speedy Chicken & Spinach Pasta 
  • 1 pkg. penne pasta, cooked and drained (whole wheat, quinoa, whatever you like - I used a high fiber one we had in the cupboard)
  • 2 c. (ish) rotisserie chicken, torn/cut into pieces (more if you have a hungry teenager)
  • 1/2 a small to medium onion, diced (I like onion in everything, so I tend to go heavier)
  • 2 good-sized cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 c. chicken stock
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded & diced
  • 1 bunch (or bag) spinach leaves
  • 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled (mine was in a brine solution, so it was softer and melted nicely.  If you use that, watch the salt when seasoning your dish!)
  • salt & pepper to taste
Heat a little bit of olive oil in a big non-stick skillet, then add diced onion and garlic, cook about 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add red pepper, cook about 30 seconds or so, then add pasta, chicken and stock.  Add in tomatoes and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted and everything is heated through.  Stir in feta cheese.  Season to taste. That's it!
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome.  It's a lot of work, but it is awesome.  Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great.  What more can you ask for?  I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef.  You can mix it up, but I really like this combo.  It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish.  The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or...
Read more

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli!  I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME).  If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese  Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and chop...
Read more

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months.  If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them.  But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming.  As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind.   Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes.  Find out if you'r...
Read more