An Excellent Dinner for This Week: Our Pasta with Chicken, Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

We love Italian-inspired cuisine. It generally reconciles the tastes of all family members.

If you are looking for a good dinner to delight your children as much as yourself, here is our suggestion with Mediterranean flavors.

This pasta is served with the best homemade creamy sauce! The sun-dried tomato pasta sauce is made entirely from scratch with basil, red pepper flakes, garlic, paprika, cream, and shredded Mozzarella cheese.

It's delicious!

Ingredients, for 4 servings

4 ounces (118 g) of sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil

1 pound (454 g) of chicken breast fillets, sliced

A pinch of salt

A pinch of paprika

1 cup (250 ml) of half-and-half (1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk)

1 cup (250 g) of shredded Mozzarella cheese

8 ounces (236 g) of penne pasta (or other)

1 tablespoon (15 g) of basil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

A pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup (125 ml) of pasta cooking water

More salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes (drained of oil) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (which can be from the sun-dried tomato jar) for 1 minute on medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.

2. Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet leaving the olive oil.

3. Add the sliced chicken (salted and lightly covered with paprika for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.

4. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve some of the cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.

5. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and return them to the skillet with the chicken.

6. Add the half-and-half and the Mozzarella cheese to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil.

7. Reduce immediately to simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts and the creamy sauce forms.

8. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce and stir to combine.

9. Add the basil and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

NOTE: If the creamy sauce is too thick, add about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet to thin it. Do not add all the pasta water at once; you might need less or more.

10. Season the chicken pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, if necessary. Let simmer for a few minutes for flavors to combine.

Enjoy your meal!