Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Chicken, Shrimp and Veggie Pasta
Last night Jeff and I had his parents, Glenn and Cheryl, over for dinner. It is always so nice to host people in our tiny apartment (even if we can only host 2 people max at our dinner table). I have so many fun dishes and salad bowls from my wedding shower that I am never able to use. My in-laws met Ollie for the first time! Of course, they got along great.
Anyways, I made something for dinner that my mom used to make for us growing up. Although it looks somewhat complicated, it is actually super easy. It can be made in about 20 minutes (if you have small chicken breasts and grill them), and of course it is healthy! If you need to feed a group of people and want to make something quick yet somewhat impressive...this is the dish.
Anyways, I made something for dinner that my mom used to make for us growing up. Although it looks somewhat complicated, it is actually super easy. It can be made in about 20 minutes (if you have small chicken breasts and grill them), and of course it is healthy! If you need to feed a group of people and want to make something quick yet somewhat impressive...this is the dish.
Ingredients:
- 3 small chicken breasts
- 15-20 shrimp
- 1 package of whole-wheat pasta (I used linguine)
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 peppers (I used a red and yellow)
- 1/2 bottle of Italian salad dressing
-We decided to grill our chicken (mostly because our stove top is so small and I didn't have enough room). So either way, cook your chicken first. Cut the chicken up into small pieces and either grill or cook on stove top.
-While the chicken is cooking, start to saute your veggies. Chop the broccoli and peppers and place in pan on stove top with about 1/2 cup of Italian dressing. This will marinate the veggies while they cook. This will take about 15 minutes.
-After about 5 minutes of cooking the veggies, begin cooking your pasta. Boil water and place pasta in boiling water according to the package (ours took 11-13 minutes).
-With 5 minutes left of cooking the veggies and pasta, add the shrimp to the veggie pan. These will cook quickly!
-Finally, drain the pasta and pour about half of the bottle of Italian dressing onto the pasta. Stir in the veggies, shrimp and chicken. Serve with Parmesean cheese!
-While the chicken is cooking, start to saute your veggies. Chop the broccoli and peppers and place in pan on stove top with about 1/2 cup of Italian dressing. This will marinate the veggies while they cook. This will take about 15 minutes.
-After about 5 minutes of cooking the veggies, begin cooking your pasta. Boil water and place pasta in boiling water according to the package (ours took 11-13 minutes).
-With 5 minutes left of cooking the veggies and pasta, add the shrimp to the veggie pan. These will cook quickly!
-Finally, drain the pasta and pour about half of the bottle of Italian dressing onto the pasta. Stir in the veggies, shrimp and chicken. Serve with Parmesean cheese!
I understand that this recipe has a lot of steps, but they are all easy! What is easier than cooking pasta? Not much!
Like I said, this is a great go-to meal. I have been eating it for years and it never seems to get old! Add any of your favorite veggies. Perfect for fall, winter or summer weather.
Jeff is tutoring now, so I'm off to play with Ollie for a bit. I'm making whole-wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies tonight! I'll have the recipe up for you all tomorrow.
Until then, what is your favorite go-to meal for either quickness or when hosting a group of people? I love hearing about new recipes-especially from our readers!
Like I said, this is a great go-to meal. I have been eating it for years and it never seems to get old! Add any of your favorite veggies. Perfect for fall, winter or summer weather.
Jeff is tutoring now, so I'm off to play with Ollie for a bit. I'm making whole-wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies tonight! I'll have the recipe up for you all tomorrow.
Until then, what is your favorite go-to meal for either quickness or when hosting a group of people? I love hearing about new recipes-especially from our readers!
7 comments:
I like to do make your own pizza when guests come over. I make one recipe of my homemade pizza dough and divide it into 4 equal portions. Then I hand one to each person, have them flatten it out on a cookie sheet, then add their own sauce and toppings. Then I just need to make a salad & a dessert. Guests have fun with it and it's super easy to do!
I love this pasta! It is beautiful and so tasty looking. Healthy too. I agree with you that pasta is the way to go for both quickness and hosting parties. It can be stuffed jumbo shells, lasagna, etc. Always delicious and a crowd pleaser!
Awesome pics and this looks incredibly delish!
That dish looks awesome, I may have to try it (minus the shrimp, yuck).
Personally I have 2 main go-to dishes for when family and friends come over for dinner. The first is my "Sunday Dinner". Roast Chicken and veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy. Its so easy once you get it down and yet everyone always seems impressed.
My second go-to is my "Fancy Chops". Pork chops with herb white wine cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and veggie of your choice (whatever I have on hand). It requires like 8 ingredients, cooks up quick (potatoes take the longest) and looks and sounds SO impressive. Not too mention how tasty it is.
All of these are great ideas! I especially love the personal pizzas :) Easy and fun...my kind of dinner.
This looks delicious! I love the combo of chicken and shrimp!
What a gorgeous colorful delicious looking dish!
Great blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
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