Asparagus Pesto Pasta

For Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-a-day Tuesday event!

Mondays are not the best day for cooking. Back to work day also means that I end up getting home later than I intended with little to no desire to cook. 

So if there are no leftovers from weekend cooking, this is where I pull out the quick cooking methods.

Most of what I cook during the week is of the quick cooking variety. Half an hour from start to table or less.

This is also where I get creative with my pantry.

Like many foodies I tend to horde interesting ingredients that I find. Jars and can that at the time I bought them I had intended to use for something and soon forgotten.

Mondays are when those little treasures find use.

In this case it was my tiny jar of Pesto alla Genovese from Trader Joe’s or Trader Giotto’s as it says on the plain green and yellow label. 

Though only a little over 6 ounces the jar packs a powerful punch of flavor. All natural with no preservatives, like all Trader Joe’s branded products, the pesto has a nice clean flavor. Well balanced, it has an excellent consistency that sticks well to pasta. 

Its not home made but it is made with most of the same ingredients: basil, oil, Grana Padano, and nuts. True it also has potatoes and cashews but hey at least there’s nothing on the label that I can’t pronounce. 

My last jar was stolen whole by a friend of the family so this time I bought two. The first I used tonight along with the chicken that I forgot to marinate and a lonely bunch of asparagus. I had intended to roast the asparagus with some of the pesto anyway, figuring the flavors would go well together… maybe over some rice. 

But when actually faced with the concept of dinner, I caved and took the skillet way out. 

Asparagus Pesto Pasta

1 bunch asparagus
½ pound pasta
½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts [1]
2 teaspoons olive oil
2/3 cup pesto
Salt and pepper
Parmesan (optional)
 

Heat a large skillet on high. 

Prepare pasta according to package directions. 

Cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks season with salt and pepper and toss into the hot skillet. Cook without stirring until most of the pieces have turned opaque. Flip and continue to cook. 

Cut asparagus into one inch long pieces. Add to skillet and toss. Cook for 2 minutes. 

Add pasta and toss again. Cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Add the pesto and stir to distribute evenly. Cook long enough to heat the pesto through. 

Adjust seasoning as necessary. 

Server with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. 

[1] The chicken breast could be substituted with extra firm, pressed tofu which would pick up the flavors of the pesto really well. Another great substitution for the chicken would be turkey or smoked turkey sausage or heck...even shrimp!