LEMON CHICKEN & ZUCCHINI PASTA

Today I am sharing one of our family favorites! It’s a good one… It’s very filling and very healthy and very very delicious! I grew up hating zucchini, but this recipe changed all that! It’s really that good. My kids will down the tomatoes and the zucchini in this pasta! I love it when I can get my kids to eat something healthy without a fight.

I remember the very first time I had this dish. It was in Economics class in college.

My roommate and I had an evening class and it was so long. Thankfully, because I was on campus all day, my awesome roommate made and brought dinner for both of us every once in a while–okay, she actually made me dinner a lot! I was lucky.

It became an instant favorite the second I tried it! Serious. Looking back I think I enjoyed the meal so much just because of the circumstances… I’m not a huge fan of economics, but I do love food!

Even though I loved this recipe from the very beginning, I have tweaked it slightly over the years adding a bit more flavor–because that’s what I do. My husband sometimes tells me that he likes the unpredictability of my meals, I guess it keeps dinner time exciting!

This meal is one you can throw together in less than 30 minutes if you time everything right. It is both healthy and budget friendly if the zucchini are in season.

Ingredients:

2 breasts chicken slices grilled
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 sliced zucchinis
1-2 tsp garlic
4-5 diced roma tomatoes
1 packet Italian seasoning dressing
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
1 box bowtie pasta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Cook your noodles in a pot on the stove. Meanwhile, pull out the George Foreman and place chicken slices on and grill until cooked through. Season with a dash of garlic, salt and black pepper.

2. While the chicken is grilling, chop onion and zucchini and throw them in a frying pan with a dash of olive oil. As they are cooking, add 1 tsp garlic and stir to coat everything evenly. Cook just until the zucchini starts to be tender. Don’t overcook or they will be soggy.

3. Add the grilled chicken to the veggies. Toss in the diced roma tomatoes, Italian seasoning, 1 packet Italian seasoning dressing and 1-2 Tbs lemon juice depending on how much you like lemon… I always do 2, but I love lemon. Stir well and make sure its all coated!

4. Drain noodles when they are cooked the way you like them. Add the noodles to your chicken and veggies and stir well. Last add the parmesan cheese and stir. It should melt a little bit since everything else is hot.

5. Dinner is ready… your noodles and veggies are hot, cheesy and extra delicious! Serve immediately.