Pasta Penne al Fresco with Shrimp

As promised here is tonight's dinner!  I've decided that I'll probably only do this about once a week maybe once every other week because it took a long time to make dinner!  With an almost 17 month old... well you can well imagine!  Daddy was very good with entertaining him while I did this.  So how do you make Pasta Penne al Fresco?  Well... the one MUST HAVE is the Deep Covered Baker from The Pampered Chef.  It's great!  This meal was made in the microwave except for the shrimp.  It was frozen so I just heated it up in the Executive Cookware Skillet!  So take a look at the pictures and their captions.  At the end you'll see the recipe!

Before shot!

Red Leaf Lettuce in the Salad Spinner

Lettuce in the Bamboo Bowl before using the Salad Choppers

Salad Choppers in action

Color Coated Utility Knife and Cutting Board

Finished Salad in Bamboo Bowl with Bamboo Salad Tongs

Deep Covered Baker with sliced garlic and olive oil

Grape tomatoes after their time in the microwave

Executive Cookware Skillet

It's done! Remember... cooked in the microwave!



Dinner is served!



 You probably won't be able to tell from the pictures but this recipe does call for cheese.  Something my Italian husband refuses to eat!  So... the cheese has been omitted from this recipe.  If you have a "picky non cheese eater" this recipe will still turn out!  So here's the recipe:

Shopping List:

ü 4 cloves of garlic

ü 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

ü 1 box of mezze penne pasta

ü 3 cups chicken broth

ü Dry white wine (i.e. Chardonnay) *see note below

ü Black pepper

ü 1 ¼ cup fresh basil

ü Block of Parmesan cheese (we will grate it)

ü 2 cups grilled chicken breast (if you want to buy the already cooked chicken breasts that might be easier)*in this recipe I used Gorton's already cooked frozen shrimp! I've also grilled chicken with Pampered Chef's Citrus Basil Rub YUMMY!

  

Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco

Directions:

1. Spray Deep Covered Baker with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Slice garlic into baker using Garlic Slicer. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after 2 minutes. Crush tomatoes using Mix ‘N Chop. Add pasta, broth, wine, salt and black pepper.
2. Return baker to microwave; cover and microwave on HIGH 16-18 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop basil with Chef's Knife. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Grate cheese using Rotary Grater.
3. Carefully remove baker from microwave and remove lid, lifting away from you. Add remaining basil, cheese and chicken to baker; mix well. Garnish with reserved 2 tbsp basil, additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving: Light (about 1 cup): Calories 240, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat .5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 17 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 2 g
Cook's Tips: An additional 3/4 cup chicken broth can be substituted for the wine, if desired.

Any tube-shaped pasta requiring 9-11 minutes cook time, such as penne or rigatoni, can be substituted for the mezze penne pasta.

To grill chicken in the Grill Pan, season 2 chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, with salt and black pepper. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Spray pan with oil. Cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn chicken over; cook 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink and Digital Pocket Thermometer registers 170°F.