Thursday has arrived.  What a day yesterday!  Work was busier than a New York City subway station and on top of that I was so excited about the giveaway post.  So far there has been a really good response to the book giveaway and I am really looking forward to reading more comments.  Thanks so much everyone.

Ever crave pasta but you are so hungry that you dread waiting to make the cream sauce, the toppings and the pasta so you break down and not bother making it.  Well that has happened to me many times, but with this dish – it no longer happens.

This is a staple dish is zesty’s kitchen with often a variation of vegetable, pasta or meat.  This really is a 15 minute dish that requires two pots/pan to make.  Your kind of dish if you are in a rush and starving.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Pasta (your choice)
• 2 Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 1 Cup Broccoli
• 1 Tbsp. Basil Paste or 1 Tsp. Dried Basil
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 Can of Skim Milk

Method

1. Cook Pasta according to directions ( 10 pasta cooking tips ).
2. Prepare chicken and slice into strips.
3. Peel and chop garlic.



4. Add Tbsp. Olive Oil to medium-hot sauce pan.



5. Stir fry chicken and garlic until opaque.



6. Add Basil Paste.



7. Continue cooking until chicken begins to brown, then add the cream of mushroom soup and milk Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.





8. Bring back up to a gentle boil and add broccoli for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.



9. Drain pasta, add pasta to sauce, stir gently, and serve.
10. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.



11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When making cream sauces always be cautious of turning the burner on too high – anything with dairy in it will boil and burn very quickly.  To thicken the cream sauce however, you can use a slurry technique which combines a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour with cold water (to avoid lumps) into the sauce and bring to a gentle boil.

Now that was easy!  A no nonsense kind of meal that is hearty, tasty and appealing.  I like it!  If broccoli is not your favorite, I have often made it with spinach, mushrooms or even frozen peas.  Gotta get the greens in there somehow!

I hope you have a great day… the weekend is almost here.  If you have not already done so… visit the giveaway and make sure you get your comment submitted.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Growing up as a child, my mom used to prepare a tuna casserole that was one of my favorites to see at the dinner table. Chunky white tuna, crunchy green peas, a rich cream sauce and my favorite, fresh regular potato chips. Sounds a little strange I know but when you try it you’ll know what I mean. The texture combined with the flavors make this classic a must have in the family cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup of Milk
• 1 8 oz Can of Chunk White Tuna
• 1 Cup Crushed Potato Chips
• 1 Cup of Peas

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 Degrees.  Mix above ingredients in greased casserole in the order listed. Top with 1/4 cup of crushed Potatoe Chips.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

As you can tell by the simplistic recipe and ingredients, this tuna casserole is very economical and can easily feed a crowd. This is a great potluck dish or can even be used in a pinch when you are at the end of your grocery cycle.

A couple of tips:

• I find frozen peas work best unless you have access to garden peas(stay away from canned peas)
• For the potato chips, I like to use ruffles (something thick for more texture)
•  A great addition to this recipe is a short pasta of your choice. (i tend to use macaroni, penne, rotini or fusilli)

Drink recommendation:

To top of this classic, a large glass of milk is a great companion.

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty