Most of the time, we don’t associate summertime meals with pasta. We traditionally think burger, brats and beer, right? Sometimes a comforting pasta dish on a rainy summer night can give you the slightest taste of coziness while you sit in front of the air conditioning worn out from a day’s worth of work.
Customize this recipe to your palate’s preference by adding more spinach, tomatoes or Parmesan. I imagine adding artichoke hearts would be a nice refreshing taste as well. So grab a chair, sit in front of a fan and cool off a little bit.
Ingredients
1 pound of chicken breast
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 box (pound) of penne pasta
1/2 stick of butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1/2 cup of cream
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
Directions
- For chicken, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on a medium-hot grill for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt. Cook penne according to directions. Give a quick rinse with cold water.
- For the sauce, melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add tomatoes and spinach and cook for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and cream. Cook for 3 minutes until it begins to simmer. Lower the heat and add cooked, drained pasta.
- Slice chicken and add to the pasta. Add Parmesan cheese and carefully toss together. Top with additional Parmesan cheese on top.
