It was Saturday night which means I get to spend a little bit of time in front of the stove & actually cook a real meal. This usually also means making a bit of extra to bring as lunch the following week.
I have been meaning use up a packet of whole wheat linguine that has been sitting in my cupboard for a few months but I didn't know how I should cook it. When I went to the grocery store today, I unknowingly started looking for summer squash only to realize that they weren't available because...haha...it's not summer anymore. Fortunately, I was able to find good-looking & cheap zucchinis so I decided to cook it up with some onion in a tomato sauce. For protein, I used chicken tenders just cause I had them sitting in the freezer.
The whole thing was pretty easy to make & it took only about 20 minutes.
So here is what you'll need to do for preparation...
Take an onion - red, white, yellow doesn't matter - & cut them into thin slices. I used a quarter of an onion because I was cooking for only myself.
With the zucchinis, scrub with water to get rid of the waxy coat on the outside. After that, cut off both ends and slice thinly. If you're not good with a knife, I found that it is easier if you keep the stem end on so you have more to hold on to.
Chicken tenders are great because they are already in these thin strips & I can just season them with a little bit of salt/pepper. Chicken breast & high can be substituted since they tend to be cheaper. Cut them up into strips or leave them as they are.
Now on to the cooking...
Depending on how much pasta you're cooking, bring the appropriate amount of water to a boil (when in doubt, you'd rather have more water than no enough). Add in a good bit of salt & cook the pasta according to directions on the package. I take 1 minute off the instructed time because I like to toss my pasta in the sauce for a little bit before serving.
In a pan, heat up some oil - whatever kind you like - on high heat & sear the the chicken. This doesn't take too long, just until the outside to look totally cooked & go a little bit beyond that. Obviously if bigger pieces of chicken is being used, add an additional minute or 2. Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
In the same pan, heat up some more oil on medium heat & add in the onion. Once the onions have turned a little translucent, add in the zucchini. Add some salt/pepper & 2 spoonful of the pasta water. I added chipotle pepper powder too for heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for 3 minutes. After the time is up, turn the heat to low; add in 1-1.5 cups of store-bought pasta sauce (I like the tomato basil from Trader Joe's) & stir everything around. Add the chicken back in and let it cook for a few more minutes.
At this point, I took the chicken back out because the pieces get in the way. I took the pasta out of the water & transferred it immediately to the sauce. Using tongs, mix everything together until it looks nice & delicious. Serve the pasta on a plate & place the chicken pieces back on top.
That's it!
It might seem complicated to have to cook the pasta, make the sauce, & cook the meat. But things can be done @ the same time so it's not too bad. I made enough to feed me for dinner, another portion for lunch, & I still have un'sauced pasta that I can make in other ways.
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