jason's no leftover pasta
This is one of my favorite recipes. It's creamy, bacony, mushroomy, sun-dried tomatoey, pestoey - full of so much flavor, you'll wonder how you made it through life without ever trying it! The real secret to this dish is mastering your sauce-making skills. Constantly stirring the cream and watching the temperature of the pan is absolutely critical to the success of this decadent bechamel sauce. If you don't eat bacon, no problem. Just be sure to substitute the flavor with salt or lemon zest to balance out the naturally sweet cream flavor.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
We guarantee you won't have leftovers when you serve this pasta dinner. Super creamy, the sauce has so many flavors that work well together. Pesto stands out and we loved the basil flavor. Sun-dried potatoes add some sweetness. That's all balanced by the smoky flavor bacon gives the cream sauce. Pan-fried chicken adds protein to the dish. We opted for bow-tie pasta, but you could really use your favorite type of pasta. Restaurant quality, your family will think you placed a to-go order to enjoy at home. There are a few steps, but this is a relatively easy pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon
- 6 medium sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons pesto
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, no salt
- 1 package baby portobello mushrooms (8 oz)
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 cup white wine, dry
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 box pasta, bow-tie, farfalle (12 oz)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
How To Make jason's no leftover pasta
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Step 1Chop bacon into small pieces. Cook on medium-high heat until well done. Do not discard the fat! -
Step 2Cut sun-dried tomatoes into small slivers. Saute in the hot pan with the bacon for 2-3 minutes.
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Step 3Reduce heat to medium, and carefully stir in the pesto. The extra oil in the pesto may cause it to splatter, so take caution.
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Step 4Add minced garlic to the pan, and stir until the garlic is lightly browned or until you begin to smell the fragrance of the garlic cooking. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
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Step 5Sift flour over the mixture evenly, and stir to combine. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes to cook away the taste of the flour. If the ingredients appear to be too dry or browning too quickly, add a small amount of olive oil or butter to the pan.
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Step 6Add heavy cream to the pan and stir thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.
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Step 7Stir milk slowly into the sauce until combined. Continue to stir the sauce for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
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Step 8Once the sauce begins to thicken, slowly stir in the chicken broth. Keep stirring until all ingredients are well combined.
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Step 9Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer at a slow pace.
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Step 10Filet the chicken breast into 1/2" thick cutlets.
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Step 11Lightly salt both sides of the cutlets. Sprinkle coarse black pepper generously over cutlets on both sides.
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Step 12In a hot grill pan, grill the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Be sure to keep an eye on the sauce and stir it often.
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Step 13Remove the chicken from the pan and cut it into small strips or small cubes.
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Step 14Add chicken to the cream sauce and combine well.
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Step 15Melt butter in a large pan and add mushrooms. Lightly salt the mushrooms.
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Step 16Saute the mushrooms until they become slightly tender, about 2-3 minutes.
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Step 17Add white wine to the mushrooms. Be sure to use a dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio - nothing too sweet. Cook the mushrooms until the white wine is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Speaking of stirring - don't forget to stir your cream sauce! Continue to saute mushrooms for 1-2 minutes after the white wine is dissolved.
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Step 18Remove from heat and stir the mushrooms into the cream sauce.
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Step 19Cook all ingredients on low heat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the entire mixture is creamy.
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Step 20Cook pasta according to al-dente instructions on the packaging, about 1-2 minutes shorter time than fully cooked.
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Step 21Strain the pasta and gently fold it into the cream sauce. You may not need all the pasta - I like mine really creamy, so save some of the extra pasta for a tuna pasta salad tomorrow :-) After combining all ingredients, remove from heat and serve immediately. TIP: To reheat, just add a little bit of milk, and cook on low heat. Microwaving this dish may not produce the same creamy results you get when the dish is initially done cooking.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
