Here’s a classic dish I made all the time in college turned “whole foods”. In college, I used to make this dish for lunch or dinner when I lived in a house off campus junior and senior year. I’d combine my favorite flavors into a quick dish that was balanced in carbs, fat, and protein and packed with veggies, nutrition and flavor.
Back then I used whole wheat pasta and added some mozzarella or parmesan to finish. These days I use a vegetable noodle like zucchini noodles, squash noodles, or kelp noodles as shown here. I also omit the cheese unless I’m going “primal” instead of “paleo”, in which case I’ll add some full-fat mozzarella and broil it til bubbly and brown, or I’ll toss in dollops of goat cheese.
I just love the ease of these kelp noodles because of how well they emulate spaghetti and how convenient they are. Their convenience allows me to stick to a whole foods diet that makes me feel good, but doesn’t require hours of prep and clean up. With a busy life, that just wouldn’t happen. This makes kelp noodles an ingredient I find myself relying on more and more. In one pan I can cook up veggies, proteins, add herbs and spices, then toss in the noodles and dinner is done. In fact, it’s easier to throw this dish together than regular pasta because I don’t even have to boil pasta!
For a quick and delicious one-pan meal, try Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken tonight!
- 1 tablespoon of oil from a can of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ an onion, finely diced
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 2 cups (packed) fresh spinach
- 1½ cups Nana's Italian Tomato Sauce (or your favorite tomato sauce)
- 1 (12 oz.) package kelp noodles, drained
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a large pan over medium heat, add the sun dried tomato oil. Once heated, add the chicken and leave it for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
- Turn the chicken to cook on the other sides for 3-4 more minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- To the same pan add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. While cooking the onion, scrape the browned chicken bits from the bottom of the pan for added flavor to your dish. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Stir until the spinach cooks down, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, kelp noodles, and return the chicken to the pan. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer, the noodles to heat through, and the chicken to heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve topped with pine nuts and enjoy!
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