I make this easy pasta dish all the time, especially on busy weeknights! I change it up with different kinds of pasta, vegetables and protein! The Parmesan sauce is creamy and delicious, but made lighter with chicken broth. (Not as thick and "guilty" as Alfredo sauce.) Everyone loves this dish at our house!
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
You can grill or cook chicken in skillet, until browned and cooked through. Cover and set aside
In large (approx. 12" x 2") deep skillet over medium heat add oil and onions, cook for a minute or two until softened, then add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add Italian seasoning, pepper, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until starting to reduce and thicken.
Add vegetables, partially cover pan. Should be at a low simmer. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta about a minute less than the package states. Monitor vegetables, when almost cooked to desired doneness, remove from heat and uncover.
Before draining pasta reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss pasta with cheese, sauce and vegetables.
Add in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid - the starch will help everything come together. (add more as needed, I usually use about 1/2 cup total.) Toss for a minute, the sauce will continue to thicken. Take a taste - sprinkle with salt as needed. (Sometimes the cheese adds enough salt.)
You can add in your chicken now and toss together or just nestle on top, put the lid on for a couple minutes to rewarm. Serve with additional grated Parmesan.
Notes
Protein Choices:
You can leave the chicken out if you just want to have veggies and pasta. (you could even swap the broth for vegetable broth) You can also substitute the chicken with with pork, sausage or shrimp.
Vegetable Choices:
I use about 5 cups total vegetables, you can swap in just about any vegetable you have on hand. I have used roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, artichokes...
Wine?
If you have some leftover wine on hand, you can deglaze the pan with about 1/2 cup white wine before adding the broth and cream.
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