Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Shopping List

1lb pasta
½ lb boneless chicken breast
½ cup wine - red or white, doesn’t matter
4 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
2 tablespoons of chopped or diced garlic
1 cup half and half
4 oz cream cheese
½ cup basil pesto
½ cup diced sundried tomatoes
2 fists full of fresh spinach
¼ cup parmesan
2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes

The Short Story

Slice the chicken breast into 1-inch bites and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large saute pan over med-high heat with a glug of olive oil and add the chicken.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side then stir in garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant
Deglaze by adding the wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula for any chicken or garlic bits that got stuck to the pan.
Then add the water and a single bouillon cube, stir until the cube has been absorbed by the liquid - crush the side with the spatula if needed.
Add uncooked pasta to the pan, stir so everything is incorporated and cover with a lid.
Let pasta cook undisturbed for 6 minutes then lift the lid to stir the pasta occasionally for the final 2 minutes.
Once a majority of the water has been absorbed (but still some liquid remains), turn the heat down to low
Add the red pepper flakes, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, half and half as well as the cream cheese (pull cream cheese into smaller bits beforehand). Stir until the cream cheese has fully melted with no specks left.
Finally add the spinach and Parmesan to the pan and stir gently until the leaves wilt slightly.
Serve with a good crank of black pepper and serve with a healthy portion of french bread.

Pics or it didn’t happen

The Long Story

Origins: Mr. Mustang and I host game nights online every Wednesday and since we typically eat dinner at our desks when playing, I needed to make a dish that was quick, portable and had very little cleaning up afterwards. During the quarantine, I got my groceries delivered but my next shipment wasn’t scheduled for another few days so I decided to screw it and go improvise tonight’s meal. Exploring the remains of my fridge, I found half a jar of sun dried tomato pesto as well as sun dried tomato bruschetta. There was also half a box left of cream cheese, a pint of heavy cream and a bunch of spinach that is nearing the end of its shelf life. There is always pasta in the cupboard at our place however I was completely out of broth but I did get bouillon cubes from my mother-in-law for Christmas. Thus this meal was born.

Meat: You (like me who made this the first time) can opt out of the chicken if you like. If you want to make this vegetarian, I recommend substituting the meat for mushrooms. Mushrooms brown like chicken and are a great addition to any pasta dish.

Broth vs. Bouillon: I was completely out of broth when making this dish but luckily I had bouillon cubes that were gifted to me as a Christmas gift (don’t judge). I’ve made this with both the broth and a bouillon cube and the taste difference is hardly detectable. You can make this with just plain water if you like and the dish will still turn out great.

Cream: Half and half is a great middle ground for using dairy in dishes - there is still a good balance of milk fats that helps thicken the sauce but the filtered milk keeps the sauce from becoming one giant glob of a mess. You can easily substitute the half and half (like I did) with an even portion of heavy cream and 2% milk or if you want the sauce to be thinner, just use regular milk only.

Sun dried tomatoes: Now I cheated when I made this - I happened to have a jar in the fridge that was actual sundried tomato pesto as well as sun dried tomato bruschetta. Not sure if your local grocery store would have these items on its shelves so when in doubt, you can get the same result by buying regular basil pesto and a jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil. The only difference between the two is having to do extra prep work chopping up the jarred tomatoes rather than have everything ready in one jar. Or just omit the sun dried tomatoes and use only basil pesto. Sun dried tomatoes have a strong distinct flavor that some people don’t like so there is no shame if you use regular pesto only.

Pasta: The go-to pasta that is always in the cupboard in our home is penne. The penne noodle is just perfect in shape and size but you can use any other kind of pasta if you wish. I only recommend if you plan to use a long pasta noodle like spaghetti or fettuccine, to cook this dish with the lid off the entire time. The long strand noodle pastas take longer to cook so you need to stir frequently compared to a short noodle like penne.