There’s nothing I love more that a delightful meal that comes together in less than 40 minutes. Most pasta dishes I’ve created are simple and quick recipes that pack in the flavor and texture. The ingredients are pretty straight forward and everything can be found in your local grocery store. If you can’t find pepitas by chance… then toasted pine nuts would be a wonderful replacement. Also, don’t be afraid to throw in a good handful of fresh basil. It really is the “cherry on top” for this pasta dish. The ingredients list says to add about 10-12 leaves but don’t feel like you can’t add more. When it comes to basil, I always think more is better! I used bow tie pasta for this particular one (mainly because it’s what I had in my pantry) but feel free to use another type of pasta if preferred. Penne or rigatoni would also work great!
I used to make the same old chicken Alfredo and marinara for pasta dinner a long time ago… and after the same old thing every week, I started to switch things up, and experiment with different flavors and textures. I think pasta is one of those incredibly versatile dishes, where an experiment almost always turns out to be so tasty (and my new favorite).
ARTICHOKE + SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA WITH BLACKENED CHICKEN AND BACON
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb. farfelle pasta, cooked according to package instructions
- 4 pieces thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 chicken breast, sliced half lengthwise
- Blackened seasoning ( like Emril’s, redfish magic, or your favorite)
- 1 small yellow onion, small dice
- 5 cloves garlic, small dice
- 1/2 cup artichokes, chopped in fourths
- 1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes + 2 tbsp oil from jar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- 10-12 basil leaves, chiffonade cut
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or pan to medium high heat. Place bacon in the skillet and cook till crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Do not rinse pan.
- Sprinkle chicken breasts with blackened seasoning and place in the skillet. Cook about 3-4 minutes a side, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan. Rinse the skillet and place back on the heat.
- Add in sun dried tomato + oil, onion, garlic and artichokes. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add in heavy cream, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and lemon juice. Bring to a soft boil then add in parmesan. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Add in pasta, bacon, basil and pepitas. Mix.
- Serve with blackened chicken and extra parmesan.