Summer Pasta

Here's my latest favorite quick meal.  Besides being quick, it's light and tastes like it's fresh from the garden.  In contrast to high calorie alfredo pastas, this one has just a hint of sauce and allows the basic ingredients to shine.  The first time I made it, I did it with just zucchini and tomatoes.  This version has some chicken and mushrooms in it.  Honestly, I liked the first version better!

OK - this is one of those recipes that you use how much you like and need to feed your family.  To make your own fresh summer pasta:

Boil water for pasta and cook according to package instructions.  

In the meantime, cut zucchini in 1/2" chunks.  You can also slice some of the biggest baby tomatoes in half but leave a good amount whole.  Clean and slice the mushrooms.  Chop some onion and garlic.  I used frozen onions and garlic from a jar - I'm all about convenience in these quick meals.  Slice up some fresh sage and hold on the side for the end.

Cut the chicken in chunks and fry in a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from pan.

Add some chicken broth to the same pan.  I used 1/4-1/2 C.  Dump in all your veggies and cover with a lid to steam a little bit.  This part goes really quick, maybe 5 minutes, stirring once or twice in between.  You just want them tender but not mushy.

Before draining your pasta, add about 1/2 C of the pasta water to the veggies.  Return the chicken to the pan.  Stir in the sage.  Add 1 T butter and stir until melted.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve veggies over pasta and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese.  OK, a lot of parmesan cheese!  Enjoy.