One Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

This recipe comes from No. 2 Pencil, and is it ever good! I love pasta. Oh boy do I love pasta! But most dishes made with it are heavily laden with wonderful sauces. They taste fantastic, but sometimes I like a pasta dish with a lighter taste, and this is a perfect recipe for that. And it’s a one pan meal!!

The original recipe had  lemon juice, lemon zest, and sliced lemons on top for a garnish. I increased the lemon juice, left out the zest, and as for the slices, it’s a waste unless they’re being used, like on fish or whatever. Not only would my kids have left them on the plate or just thrown them away, this isn’t a restaurant where I need to be that concerned about the appearance of the dish. So I skipped that step. ;-)

I also cut the oil in half, skipped the parmesan cheese in it (it was great without it!), used slightly more pasta, and threw in broccoli. I knew it would be wicked good with the lemon and chicken, and it was.

So, let’s get cooking!

Cube the chicken breast into 1 inch pieces….

….and mince the garlic. Do you mince it by hand? I do once in a while, but mostly I use my garlic press.

In a large skillet, sauté the chicken in the oil until just done.

Add the garlic, chicken broth, water, lemon juice, basil, pasta, and broccoli.

Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes. If there is too much liquid, uncover and cook for maybe another five minutes to reduce it. Of course you want some liquid in it, but if the pasta is struggling in it and yelling, “Help! I’m drowning! I can’t swim!” then a little liquid has to go. ;-)




And there you have it; it’s done! Enjoy! ~TMMF

One Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

2 Tbl Oil
1 lb chicken breast
4 cloves garlic
2 c chicken broth
1 c water
½ c lemon juice
Lemon zest, optional
½ tsp dried basil
12 oz bowtie pasta
16 oz frozen broccoli

Pizza Part Quince: Spaghetti & Meatballs Pizza

So, who’s up for pizza? I always am! One night I was thinking of how some places have macaroni and cheese pizza, and while I love mac & cheese, I didn’t want something that seemed kind of bland. And quick as a wink, Spaghetti and Meatballs Pizza popped into my mind. So I made it. ;-)

Now adding another carb to a pizza crust, well that’s not setting well with me lately, so what I did was make a small amount of spaghetti for it, and it seemed just right. The meatballs I used were from a batch Megan and I made and froze in meal size portions. All I had to do was defrost them and Megan cut them in half. If you need a meatball recipe, here’s mine, though I don’t always put spinach in them: http://themagicmealfairy.blogspot.com/2015/02/turkey-spinach-meatballs.html

So, let’s get cooking!

Chop the onion and pepper, and mince the garlic. In a medium saucepan, mix together the crushed tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, and spices. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, break the spaghetti into thirds. I took a handful of the dry spaghetti and broke it, filling a half cup measure. Just “guestimate” the amount. Cook until just tender. Mix a small amount of the spaghetti sauce into it.

Spread the dough in the greased pizza pan. Spoon on the sauce and spread. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.

Take the spaghetti and sort of drop it on top of the pizza evenly. I used my hands; it was just easier that way. Then add the meatballs, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all, and it’s ready to cook!

Bake at 425° for 18 minutes exactly. Enjoy! ~TMMF

My lovely assistant Megan,
cutting meatballs for the pizza. 

Spaghetti & Meatballs Pizza

1 pizza dough
Small meatballs, about 15-18
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
¼ green bell pepper
¼ onion
1 clove garlic
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp thyme
About 1 oz dry spaghetti
2 c mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese