in the spirit of trying to "be good", I developed my very own "Skinny" version of Pasta Primavera with a little grilled Chicken. I know Primavera is typically a vegetarian dish, but if I served up a main course sans meat, I'm certain there would be a lynching {leaving me as the guest of honor for said lynching}....
anywho, this dish really isn't difficult to make, I would just suggest measuring and slicing then setting aside your ingredients in advance prior to cooking. {it just makes life easier} The sauce is light because I made it with light butter and skim milk, oh and Parmesan cheese. The herbs, spices, garlic and olive oil give this dish plenty of flavor... yummo
i hope everyone enjoys! have a wonderful weekend! ~ciao my tomato friends...
Ingredients:
1 box of pasta of your choice
1/2 cup of olive oil and a little extra for stir frying.
3 Cloves of minced garlic
3 cups of grilled chicken fresh or pre-cooked1 cup of shredded carrots
1 small container of fresh mushrooms slices
1 red pepper sliced
1 summer squash sliced into thin/medium slices
1 zucchini sliced into thin/medium slices
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Dried Parsley
Parmesan Cream Sauce:
2 cups of skim milk
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 tblspns of light butter or margarine
3 tblspns of flour
1 tsp of Salt
1 tblspn of freshly chopped cilantro
1. Slice your grilled chicken if you have not purchased pre-cooked chicken (pre-cooked makes it a bit easier but fresh is always better), once the chicken is sliced set aside. (Also remember marinades add a little bit of calories and this recipe adds flavor with the sauce and herbs). Then prepare your zucchini and summer squash by slicing them into thin/medium slices, but not too thin. Then place them in a medium sized bowl and pour half a cup of olive oil on them, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of pepper and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Mix together well then set aside.
2. Now cut up your red pepper into thin slices and make sure the fresh mushrooms are not too large and to cut in half if need be. Then set aside.
3. In a large pot warm up the water for your pasta, while the water is warming up in a medium sized skillet put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and warm over medium heat for about two minutes. First add the fresh shredded carrots. Stir the carrots around for a few minutes and until slightly tender then add the mushrooms, red peppers, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a tsp of garlic salt and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley. Stir the ingredients until all the seasonings are mixed thoroughly then cover and move the skillet to a back burner and turn the heat to low. (check on them occasionally stirring, but keep on low heat to keep them warm)
4. (DO NOT throw away the oil the zucchini and summer squash was marinating in, set it aside) Warm your grill skillet (I used a George Foreman Grill). This is to cook your zucchini and summer squash. Once the Foreman Grill or Grill Skillet is preheated add the zucchini and summer squash to its surface and press down on the top or with a spatula to make good contact and make "grill marks". The olive oil the pieces were marinating in should be adequate to prevent sticking but a light non stick spray coat won't hurt. Make sure to watch closely so as not to burn, they only need a few minutes to cook through. Remove pieces from Grill and then set aside.
5. Add the pasta of your choice to the boiling water (it should be boiling by now) and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and then place in a large serving dish, now pour olive oil mixture over the pasta that you reserved from the zucchini and summer squash mix. Stir well and then set aside.
Parmesan Cream Sauce:
1. In a medium sauce pan add 3 Tablespoons of light butter and melt over medium heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of minced garlic and stir together until soft for a couple minutes, but do not allow the butter to burn. Then add 3 Tablespoons of flour stir together till thick and clumpy. Add in one cup of skim milk keeping the pan over medium heat and whisk continuously until blended. Then add in the remaining cup of skim milk continuously whisking until the mixture becomes slightly thickened over medium heat. Make sure to prevent sticking or scalding the milk. Once the mixture is thickened remove it from the heat and then add 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of fresh Cilantro and 1 teaspoon of salt.
2. Place the Cream Sauce in a serving dish and serve on the side to pour on top of the pasta, chicken & veggies. This way people can regulate how much sauce they want on their dish. Drain any extra olive oil from the peppers and mushrooms (they should still be over low heat on your range).
3. Place a small amount of the pasta mixture on each plate, then the grilled chicken ( you may need to reheat it prior to serving), then place the pepper and mushroom mixture and then add some zucchini and summer squash. Serve with cream sauce on the side, and serve with grated Parmesan for topping if desired.
Details: Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes Total Time: 35 Minutes Yield: 6-7 Servings
Yummm!!! Sharing this!!!
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