Dinnertime. The worst time of day for me. Even though I love my work, after a day of shooting and testing recipes for the blog or clients, I kind of just want to sit back and relax with a glass of wine or two. But alas, my repertoire also includes being a mom, housewife, cleaner, dishwasher, cook, teacher…I can really go on all day here…
Guys, I’m all for quick dinners. I am also all for a bowl of pasta. And pesto. And parmesan. These bowls of goodness combines some of my favorite ingredients.
So first off, you have macaroni. Don’t sell this humble ingredient short. It has been a saving grace in our house more than once a month – just look at this Mac and Cheese I made a while ago.
Then, pesto. You simply cannot have a meal that’s bad when pesto is involved. You can use any pesto for this recipe, but I chose to use all the leftover herbs I had in the fridge after shooting – and it came out great.
I decided to make a quick pasta sauce with some red peppers and fresh tomatoes – kick it up a notch by adding some chili to the mix. Or simply buy a jar of pasta sauce – I get you, no judgement here.
Have a great one!
| Prep Time | 15 min |
| Cook Time | 15 min |
| Servings | servings |
- 500 gr macaroni
- salted water to boil
- drizzle olive oil, for water
- handful fresh parsley, mint and basil
- 3 tablespoons almonds
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 chicken breast fillets cubed
- salt and black pepper to season
- 1 red pepper
- 4 tomatoes blanched, skin removed and roughly chopped
- 2 bird eye chili finely chopped
- fresh parmesan to serve
Ingredients
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- Cover the macaroni with water in a pot and add olive oil and salt. Boil until al dente.
- While the macaroni is cooking, place the herbs, almonds, parmesan and garlic in a pestle and mortar and grind until you have a paste. Add olive oil to smooth it out. Set aside.
- Next, heat the butter in a saucepan and brown the chicken fillets until done. Season.
- Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and cover with fresh pesto. Set aside.
- Next, cut the pepper into pieces and grill in the oven until roasted.
- Transfer the roasted peppers and blanched tomatoes with the chili in a small saucepan and simmer for a few minutes. Blend in a food processor until smooth.
- Combine the macaroni with pesto chicken and smother in red pepper and tomato sauce.
- Serve with parmesan.
