This recipe for roasted red pepper and olive pasta is quick weeknight dinner that makes use of leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
The idea of making dinner every single night is terrifying. I don’t know how parents do it, I mean three meals a day for 1 (or more) kids. Everyday. Single. Day. That just boggles my mind. Somedays I can barely remember to feed myself! I know, surprising coming from a food blogger. But I do remember to feed my dog, Sophie, but dumping a scoop of dry dog food into a bowl doesn’t require much effort, or planning. Sometimes I’m just so tired at the end of the day that the idea of cooking an elaborate dinner makes me want to crawl into bed and hide under the covers–which I have definitely done on occasion. We all have days where the only thing that you can do is crawl back into bed and call it a day.
This roasted red pepper and olive pasta recipe is kind of a cheater dinner because it’s so easy, it practically takes as much effort to put together as dumping the dog food into the bowl. Except instead of dog food, it’s fresh, healthy veggies (red peppers!) and instead of a dog bowl, it’s a hot oven. And then this healthy veggie mixture roasts together and gets sweet and yummy and then you add cooked pasta (whole wheat, please) and cooked chicken and you have a meal. This is the answer to those days where cooking is the last thing you want to do. If you don’t have any leftover cooked chicken, you can always pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home and use that. This roasted red pepper and olive pasta is a recipe that has it all–you’ve got your vegetables, whole grains and protein, add some dairy somewhere in the meal and you’ve got all your food groups covered. With just a little chopping, stirring and draining. Easy peasy.
If you’re looking to add more quick and easy dinners to your repertoire, I’ve got a few ideas:
My 5-ingredient miso salmon parcels are a meal in themselves made with salmon and snow peas.
The original simple, pasta dinner is my shrimp and basil pasta (it’s to-die-for!).
Louisa Clements
Yields 4-6
A simple pasta sauce highlighting Mediterranean flavours and using leftover chicken!
10 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 2 red peppers, sliced into thin 1 inch long strips
- 1 cup halved pitted kalamata olives
- 6 garlic cloves, diced
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups chopped leftover cooked chicken ( poached , roasted , rotisserie etc.)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 package of whole wheat penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Toss red pepper, olives and garlic with olive oil.
- Dump into a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stir in chicken.
- Serve over whole wheat penne.
Notes
Recipe by Louisa Clements
Let me know if you give this roasted red pepper and olive pasta a try in the comments below.
Alex
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Consuelo @ Honey & Figs
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Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
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rika
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Davida @ The Healthy Maven
Lou