I can’t believe we have been blogging for a year and half and we haven’t yet posted this recipe. It is an easy one, but it is also one of our favorites. Isn’t it funny how you get so used to making something for dinner that it never occurs to you that this recipe might be new to some people? It is nothing groundbreaking but we like it so I thought some of you might too! Sometimes, I wonder if some of the recipes we post are too simple. But I also know that sometimes people don’t want to spend 1, 2, or 3 hours on dinner each night. Sometimes people want simple! I feel like since we are world famous bloggers (ha!) that we can’t post easy, no brainer recipes. And yet, when I am searching for new dinner ideas I almost always look for quick and easy weeknight meal ideas. I would rather be lying on the couch watching The Food Network then having my own episode of Dinner: Impossible going on in my kitchen. I think we have talked about it before but I am an “on the side” girl. I’d rather sauces and condiments be on the side rather on my food, just in case I don’t like it. I am always ordering food plain or asking for it to be on the side. So, this is a great recipe to serve a bunch of stuff “on the side.” When I make this for a group of people I usually do the pasta, pesto, and chicken in a big bowl then I let people add as much “goodness” as they want. In this case my “goodness” would be goat cheese, pine nuts, walnuts and Romano cheese. In the past I have done: sauted mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella balls. People can choose to add as much “goodness” to their pasta as they’d like. Think of it like a salad bar for pasta toppings. Feel free to add any other “goodness” you can think of.
Here is what you’ll need
While the pasta is cooking chop the walnuts
Reserve 1 cup of water and transfer the pasta to a large bowl
Add the chicken
Add the nuts
Add the pesto and the reserved water
Give it a good stir and sprinkle with Romano cheese and goat cheese
Lots and lots of goodness!
Ingredients
1 pound tri-colored tortellini, frozen
1 cup pasta water, reserved
1 cup basil pesto, store bought or homemade, we use this recipe
4 tablespoons goat cheese
1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup pine nuts
Romano cheese
Directions
Cook the tortellini according to the directions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add in the chicken and nuts. Mix the pesto with a little pasta water and add the pesto. If it seems dry add a little more water until you get it to the point you’d like. Divide the pasta into 4 servings. Top each one with a sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of goat cheese.
Source: A Live Love Pasta Original
