I wanted a fast and easy recipe for Sunday dinner because the eclipse was going to occur right about the time we usually eat dinner. However, I only took into account the timing of the full eclipse and forgot that it would start 20 minutes before that time and last for quite awhile afterwards. Family kept wandering in and out of the house as they took turns looking at the various stages of the eclipse, occasionally stopping in the kitchen for a bite of dinner. So I am lucky that I picked a recipe that tastes great whether served warm, at room temperature, or chilled!
One of the things I like most about Lemon Pasta is it meets a variety of dietary needs with one dish. It is low in calories and fat, it is dairy-free, use brown rice noodles and it is gluten-free, and if you leave out the chicken you have a tasty vegetarian dish. It also happens to be amazingly delicious, so you don’t feel like you are missing out on anything.
Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli
Yield – 6 -8 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 oz. package pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced (optional)
- 4 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 cups carrots, julienned
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth (how to make vegetable broth)
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley ( or 2 tablespoons dried)
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (how to make seasoning salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- While pasta is cooking, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender.
- Add broccoli, carrots, chicken, lemon juice, vegetable broth, and spices and cook over a medium-high for 5 -7 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Add vegetable mixture to pasta and toss.
Serve immediately, or at room temperature, or refrigerate it and serve it chilled. 🙂 I served this with a fruit salad.
This is my idea of a meal. It has food, we really like and it is not daunting to make. I bought some beautiful broccoli today and I do have to use it. Thanks for the inspiration.