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Classic Barilla® pasta is given a bistro-style makeover with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon chicken.
There's a pair of adages about craftsmen and chefs, and they run roughly that "The craftsman's house is the last to be repaired," while a lesser known version runs that "The chef often dines upon leftovers."
Despite my schedule being full largely of food related items, I've found that the meals I enjoy the most are the ones that allow me to take the proverbial 'breath' - a meal that is as much for my 'soul' as it is for my palette. In the movie Burnt, one of the scenes I related to the most was the 'family style' meal that the chefs put together for themselves at the end of a long day spent cooking for other people - a moment to recharge, unwind, and enjoy something plainly delicious.
For such meals, I often find myself drawing inspiration from the family meals of my youth, and of course from the range of old classics that withstand the withering caress of time. These don't necessarily need to be 'simple' meals, or 'easy' to put together - sometimes just the opposite, in fact. Instead, sometimes the process of cooking for myself, and my 'crew,' is a form of relaxation in itself.
For example, last week we were rushing to put a post together, this was on the heels of doing the same the previous night. When the evening came, I found that I really just wanted to sit down with an LTG-version of 'comfort food.' One of the essentials I keep on hand for precisely this sort of meal is Barilla®
Now, what do I consider comfort food? Let's start with my penchant for sun dried tomatoes. The ever mysterious 'they' say that everything is better with sunshine, and I find that there are few cases of that being truer than with tomatoes that have absorbed a copious amount of Sol's life giving rays. Garlic, of course, since I've found precious few dishes worth eating without it. Parmesan cheese, olive, and lemon juice, must make an appearance, of course, since those are key's to my favored flavor profile.
Thus, to start things off, I prepared the Classic Barilla® Classic Blue Box as directed. Then I prepared a marinade of fresh lemon juice, garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. To this, in a large bowl, I added fresh baby spinach, and then set the cooked pasta over the spinach as shown below.
This, however, was not yet comforting enough. I sliced a pound of chicken breast thinly, and marinated that in fresh lemon juice, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil before grilling them on my griddle as shown below. Once I had added that to the pasta, my weeknight 'comfort food' was ready to melt away the stress of a long day.
Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of your favorite Barilla pasta - prepared as directed
- 3 cups of fresh baby spinach
For the Lemon Parmesan Dressing:
- 2 - 3 cloves of garlic - grated
- 5 - 6 sun-dried tomatoes - chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tbs. of grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 - 4 tbs. olive oil
For the Chicken Breast:
- 1 lb. of thin sliced chicken breast
For the Lemon Parmesan Marinade:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves of garlic grated
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 3 - 4 tbs. olive oil
Instructions
For Spinach, Pasta & Lemon Parmesan Dressing:
- Prepare the Lemon Parmesan Dressing in a large bowl. Add the baby spinach leaves and lift the pasta out of the water on to the spinach leaves and toss.
Chicken & Lemon Parmesan Marinade:
- Prepare the marinade and add the chicken breast.
- Heat a large griddle and brush with olive oil. Place the marinated chicken breast on the griddle and let cook for 2 – 3 minutes on one side before turning over and finish cooking on the other side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. The juices should be clear and the internal temp should be 170 degrees F.
- Serve the grilled chicken over the prepared pasta and spinach.
What are some of your favorite recipes for when you need to unwind? We would absolutely love to hear from you.
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Linda Plopper says
Made this last night, on a cold winter evening. It's lovely and diverse. I could see this as a summer or winter dish, as it would be simple enough to serve this chilled. I replaced pasta for gluten free pasta, forgot I didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes so replaced it with a sun-dried tomato PESTO I had on hand, minimized the parmesan by omitting it from the prep, adding only a mini amount between the pasta and the chicken breast and finally, instead of olive oil used Meyer Lemon flavored olive oil. It was DELISH. I am already considering adding some artichokes, fresh mushrooms, perhaps some black olives or even capers just to offer it assorted ways, but it is perfect as is. The spinach, the dressing, it is all a wonderful marriage and will be continued in our rotation.
Living the Gourmet says
Dear Linda, Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so pleased to hear you tried and enjoyed my Bistro Penne & Chicken. I love your ideas for variations! There are many ways to dress this dish up and enjoy it. Your comment has made my day! Thank you for visiting...have a wonderful weekend!
David T Hill says
Look's great! One question: How long should you marinade the chicken?
Living the Gourmet says
Dear David, You have marinade the chicken for a few hours or even overnight if you like. I would leave it to marinade for at least two hours first before cooking. Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!
David @ CookingChat says
what a delicious plate of pasta, so nicely presented!
Kathie says
Looks yummy! I do versions of this at least once a month because I agree...my fave flavor profile and I always look forward to it. So good!
Taylor Kiser says
This looks so delicious! Love easy and flavorful dinners like this one!
lisa @panningtheglobe says
What a gorgeous tempting meal! I'm inspired. Thanks for the great recipe.
Kristen Chidsey says
Catherine, You stepped it up with this dish--it looks absolutely incredible and I love how easy it comes together.
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
These photos are Gorgeous!!! I love easy-weeknight meals that are so flavorful and fast!!
Mary says
Ha! I've heard that lots of restaurant chefs mostly eat cold cereal! This looks like a lovely doable weeknight meal!
Kristine says
Oh this chicken looks delicious! I saved this recipe for the future!