Tuscan Chicken with Yellow Bell Peppers, Spinach, & Cavatappi in a Basil Garlic Cream Sauce

I love gardening, and I love growing crops. Although my little garden isn't huge, it still gives me  great satisfaction when I see the mini yellow, red and orange bell peppers turning their beautiful colors and ready for picking. I picked a few of my yellow bell peppers today and some fresh spinach and tomatoes. I decided to create dinner tonight around my harvested veggies!

I came across this Tuscan Marinade from the Stonewall Kitchen in the specialty grocery store and it sounded amazing! Let me tell you, it IS amazing! The flavor profile includes dried onions, peppers, garlic, and olive oil and it sure gives chicken the most incredible flavor! It makes dinner a cinch, and saved me a lot of time too! Tonight I marinated my chicken breasts in it for 20 minutes while I made my pasta and sauce.

I chopped up some fresh shallots, garlic, and my yellow bell peppers and sauteed them until tender, then added my fresh spinach until wilted. I then whisked in flour and milk, parmesan cheese and then my homemade pesto which gave it the most creamy bite! I finished it off with a little butter that made the sauce even richer. This sauce is so delicious and great with pasta. I cooked cavatappi, because the spirals on this pasta catch every little bit of sauce so that you get the perfect bite full of pesto, cream, and the tender chicken all at once!

I sauteed the chicken and sliced it up, tossed it on top of my pasta with fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes and some shaved Parmesan and  dinner was ready! I served it with my homemade artisan bread. It's a perfect weeknight meal! Check out the recipe below and enjoy it for your dinner tonight!

Yield: 8-10Author: @yogibaking

Tuscan Chicken with Yellow Bell Peppers, Spinach, & Cavatappi in a Basil Garlic Cream Sauce

prep time: 20 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 40 mins

ingredients

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 Cup of Stonewall Kitchen Tuscan Marinade

4 Tbsp olive oil

3 Small Shallots (sliced thinly)

3 Cloves Garlic (sliced thinly)

1 cup fresh spinach

3-4 mini yellow bell peppers (Or 1-2 medium sized bell peppers) Sliced thinly

2 Tbsp Flour

2 cups Whole Milk

1 1/2 Cups Parmesan Cheese (and more to top when serving)

1 cup Basil Pesto (*See below for my homemade recipe or store bought)

Salt/Pepper to taste

1/2 Cup Softened (not melted) Salted Butter (I only use Finlandia - it is the best!)

2-3 small heirloom tomatoes (sliced, or 1 large tomato)

1 lb Cooked Al dente Cavatappi (Or pasta of your choice) Read directions on box for cooking instructions.

instructions

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in and cook for 5-7 minutes each side or until cooked thoroughly and no longer pink in center. In a separate skillet, heat

2 Tbsp olive oil and cook shallots, garlic, and bell peppers until tender. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Mix flour into milk until combined then slowly whisk milk into skillet, continuous stirring. Add the parmesan cheese followed by the pesto and continue to stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Sauce should thicken up slightly, then remove from heat. Stir in butter with wooden spoon until melted and combined. Pour cooked pasta into skillet and fold in pesto cream sauce. Pour pasta with sauce into serving dish. Slice the chicken and lay over top of pasta. Top with sliced fresh tomatoes and shaved parmesan.

***See my other recipe for homemade Artisan Tuscan Boule

*Homemade pesto is so delicious and you can decide what ingredients you'd like to add depending on your own preferences. Here's mine...

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh shaved parmesan or grated

1 medium sized clove of fresh garlic or 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (or as you prefer)

3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

Generous amount of pepper and a pinch of salt

Colavita extra virgin olive oil or good quality EVOO 

Add the first 5 ingredients into food processor and process until minced consistency. While processor is running drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil slowly until desired consistency is reached.

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