Nothing is quite so satisfying after a long day at work as coming home to a delicious meal. The problem with this ideal is that often such a meal takes a lot of time to prepare. If you are working, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in a kitchen cooking and then clean up the mess afterwards.
Sacrificing a homecooked meal is just not an option for many people, though. Thankfully, innovative options are out there for people on the go. Donna and Chad from
The Slow Roasted Italian are sharing with their readers how to make delicious meals in 30 minutes and, what is even better, meals that just require one single pot. Their desire is to keep the integrity of the family meal without increasing people's stress.
Their recipe for one-pot Italian cheesy pasta and chicken is made with fresh ingredients and very little work. By cutting the chicken into small pieces, the entire dish can be cooked in one pot in a small amount of time. This means fewer dishes to clean later! Add a little salad and bread to the dish, and you have a complete meal in 30 minutes. Check out Donna's video below at the end of the article for the step-by-step on how to make this delicious dish.
One-pot Italian cheesy pasta and chicken
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2" bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 tsp. (5.2 g) dried Italian seasoning
2 tsp. (5.2 g) kosher salt
1 tsp. (2.6 g) fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. (2.6 g) crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (33.8 oz) reduced sodium chicken stock
1 cup (8.4 oz) chardonnay wine
4 oz. (64 g) fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions1. Place the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper and half the spinach into a Dutch oven.
2. Pour in chicken stock and wine. Cover and bring to boil over medium heat.
3. Let cook 8-10 minutes and gently stir the dish.
4. Add Parmesan cheese and stir. Let it cook until the cheese is melted.
5. Add the other half of the spinach, toss and serve.
Pro tip: If you don't have any Italian seasoning on hand, you can create your own by mixing rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil. If you like fresh ingredients, you may choose to use grape tomatoes in place of the sun-dried tomatoes.
Sacrificing family for food does not have to be done. By creatively learning how to cook simple, yet healthy, dishes, you can have great food to feed your family at the family table.
