Weeknight Cooking: Chicken Pasta Primavera

I may be passionate about cooking, however, I am also a full-time working mother of two young children. When I get home from work with a two-and-a-half year old and an 8-month old in tow, the last thing I have time (or energy) to do is intense food prep (like chopping vegetables) or intense cooking (like babysitting a roux on the stove). So...I have few go-to recipes that taste really good, but involve shortcuts that I wouldn't normally take if I were cooking for the FUN of it or if I were trying to IMPRESS someone.

I like this Pasta Primavera recipe because (a) it's super easy and quick, (b) you can customize it to your family's tastes, and (c) it's a one-pot wonder--you have a complete meal and you wouldn't need to serve anything else.

By the way, "primavera" means "(the season of) spring" in Italian and Spanish. Hence the presence of fresh vegetables in this dish.


CHICKEN PASTA PRIMAVERA

Chicken - I had some frozen chicken breasts that I defrosted in the microwave. Allow for about one chicken breast per adult that you're cooking for. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Saute over medium-medium high heat in olive oil until cooked through. Set aside until pasta and veggies are cooked.

Pasta - This particular time I used Butoni Three-Cheese Tortellini, which you can find in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Prepare as directed on the package and set aside (or leave in the colander that you used to drain pasta).

Frozen Veggies - My favorite veggies are the carrot, cauliflower, broccoli blend. I buy the Birdseye Steamfresh because you can steam them right in their package in the microwave and they turn fork tender, but not at all mushy. Prepare as directed on the package.

Sauce - I like toss this dish in a cream sauce. Because it's weeknight cooking, I did not make my own alfredo sauce, which would have been fabulous, but I used our favorite jarred version: Classico Alfredo Sauce. If I had not had any on hand, a drizzle of olive oil and/or balsalmic vinegar would have been my go-to sauce for the evening. While the frozen vegetables are cooking, pour sauce in large saucepan or stockpot (mabye the pot you cooked your pasta in). Begin to warm over medium heat. Add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, and veggies. Toss to coat.

You're done! Serve it up and make someone else do the dishes!