Farm Box Pasta

Mike and I returned home from vacation a little over a week ago to a very full farm box. We were very excited to find some tiny yellow squash in there and decided we would purchase a zucchini from the store to stretch the squash a bit further. I had already picked up some chicken tenderloins, so the plan was to grill those and have veggies as a side dish.

However, when I got to store, the zucchini were also looking a bit smallish. I started thinking: why not combine the zucchini, our squash and maybe a few other veggies, then toss it with pasta for a Pasta Primavera dinner? I've certainly read enough recipes for it that I felt confidant in winging it this time.

Here's what we started with....



1 small zucchini, 2 small squash, 1 green bell pepper, 3/4 pound chicken tenderloins. You'll also need 16 to 32 ounces of pasta sauce and 1 pound of pasta.



 Chop all the veggies. We started by sauteing the bell pepper since it typically takes a bit longer. Drizzle about 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers until they just start to soften, then add the chicken tenders. Season everything with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook until the chicken is light brown on the bottom, then turn and cook the other side until almost cooked through.

Add the remaining veggies and chopped garlic to taste. Season again with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with garlic powder, if desired. Remove the chicken to a cutting board; cut into bite-size pieces. Add some of the pasta sauce to the veggies until just barely covered. While the veggies are cooking, cook the pasta (we used rotini) in a large pot according to the package directions; drain. Add some of the pasta sauce to the bottom of the pasta pot and then add the pasta.

Add the veggies and chicken  to the pasta; stir to mix well. Add the remaining pasta sauce to taste (we used 32 ounces because I like really saucey pasta).

Spoon servings into bowls and top with shredded Italian cheese blend. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and enjoy while hot!

I have to tell you-Mike is normally not a fan at all of not using a recipe, but even he kept commenting how delicious this turned out. And not to toot my own horn (toot, toot!), but I had to concur...it was even better than I expected. Best of all, we can make it again using whatever veggies may come in our weekly CSA! For my vegetarian friends, feel free to leave out the chicken. I think it would equally tasty without it. We meant to add fresh basil from our plant on the deck, but it smelled so tasty that we completely forgot...maybe next time!