Skillet Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables
My skillet chicken pasta primavera recipe includes my favorite Spring vegetables and you can swap out or add any of yours. During the warm weather months, I would rather spend my time outdoors than in my kitchen, so I love to whip up quick easy meals.
This pasta dish is hearty and very flavorful. It also makes great leftovers for the lunch the next day. One tip I have for making pasta dishes and adding vegetables, is to add “color”. In this recipe, we have green (asparagus & spinach), yellow (yellow squash & yellow bell pepper), orange (orange bell pepper), purple (red onion), brown (mushrooms) and red (sun dried tomatoes). You can get really creative with your dishes, looking for tasty veggies to add to your meal.
When making this on a boat, you can prep the veggies at home to save time and space. I also pre-cook or buy pre-cooked chicken breasts, to save time.
Let us know what you love to use in your primavera! Enjoy! Ally
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Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables
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This is a hearty pasta recipe that uses all of my favorite Spring vegetables. Use any of your favorites to create a meal your family will love! Enjoy!
Instructions
Cook pasta according to the instructions - al dente'. Drain, but do not rinse. Reserve a 1/4 cup of pasta water.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add aspragus, bell pepper, red onion, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute' until slightly tender and season with salt and pepper.
Lower heat to medium and add sundried tomatoes, cooked chicken, yellow squash and spinach. Cook for about 1 minute. Add cream and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
To thicken your sauce, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water and reduce down. At our house, my husband likes his sauce really thickened and so I use corn starch. I simply mix 1 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of water and stir in. Once you have reached the consistency you prefer, add the pasta and season again with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan and crusty bread.
Hearty Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Carrots and Potatoes
It’s finally winter and who doesn’t love beef stew? This recipe is set up to make in an oven, but you can easily make it on a stove top using a Dutch oven. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on an expensive Dutch oven. I bought my Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron 6 qt. Round Casserole
Dutch Oven for just $99. Simply keep it at a simmer, stir often and be sure to check on it regularly.
Whether you have been boating all day or working outside in the yard, there’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot stew with tender beef. I recently served this for one of my dinner parties, with homemade artisan bread and it was a huge hit! Enjoy!
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Hearty Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Carrots and Potatoes
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This hearty stew is elegant enough to serve at your finest dinner parties or for your hungry boating crowd. Give yourself at least three hours to cook it for the ideal taste and tenderness.
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 300º. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven on medium high. Cook bacon until crisp and remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered plate. Cut chuck roast into 2" pieces. Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef on all sides, then remove from pot and set aside with bacon.
Add remaining olive oil to Dutch oven and add onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Add garlic cloves, beef and bacon to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaves and red wine, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and place pot in oven. Cook for 2 hours and check regularly. Add more broth if needed.
Add carrots, mushrooms and potatoes to beef stew and continue cooking in oven for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and return pot to stovetop. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Heat pot to a simmer. Add water to corn starch and add to beef stew to thicken. Stir gently. If it thickens too much, simply add a bit more stock. Serve with warm artisan bread.
This smoked salmon pasta is probably the top favorite recipe I have been making over the past five years. It all started when I owned our wine shop, The Wine Alley and we started carrying a local smoked salmon. Steve’s Hot Smoked Salmon, is made locally in Buckley. It’s unlike any other smoked salmon you will try. It’s extremely moist and super flavorful! You can get this at The Wine Alley or at some local grocery stores.
Don’t try and serve this simply as an appetizer by itself, unless you have more than one filet. It will disappear in literally five minutes as I learned the hard way.
How the Smoked Salmon Pasta came to life
Back to the smoked salmon pasta dish! Scott and I were working late one night and I didn’t have time to go to the grocery store, but I knew I had some salmon in the fridge at the wine shop. I decided to whip up a simple pasta dish and when I say simple, that’s exactly what this is! It only has a handful of ingredients and it is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It also would be super easy to make on a boat! Enjoy!
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Smoked Salmon Pasta
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This is an all time favorite dish that I make for friends and family who rave over it. It is rich and hearty and super easy to make.
Instructions
Make pasta according to the directions.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute' onions until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with garlic salt, ground pepper and parsley. Add whipping cream, stirring frequently. To thicken, mix corn starch with water and gradually pour into cream mixture. If it gets too thick, then add some pasta water until you get the consistency you like. Add smoked salmon, breaking it up into bite size pieces. Stir in capers and cooked pasta. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Pasta with Chicken, Kale & Mushrooms
Pasta, chicken, kale, mushrooms and whatever else is in the fridge. The other day I found a recipe for chicken soup with mushrooms. It sounded delicious and I was planning on making it. However, Scott only eats soup on a cold blustery day (yes, this is true!) and it happened to be a nice sunny day.
I’m not one to waste ingredients, so I wondered, what else could I make? I’ve been trying to use up tons of my veggies in the fridge and so I decided to whip up a quick pasta! This is so easy and filling. You can easily make it on the boat for a crowd! Enjoy!
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Pasta with Chicken, Kale & Mushrooms
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There is a lot more in this pasta than chicken, kale and mushrooms. In fact, you could add any of your favorite veggies too! This is a very rich and hearty dish, perfect for cold boating season.
Instructions
Cook pasta according to the directions, drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onions and mushrooms. Saute' until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, bacon and kale. Season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add whipping cream and chicken and blend well. Cook for another 5 minutes until thickened. To make the sauce thicker, in a small bowl, whisk corn starch with 2 tbsp. of water and add to skillet. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and mix in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Chicken Chili for those tailgating nights!
White chili, also known as Chicken Chili is a favorite in our house. Now that Fall & Winter is arriving, who doesn’t love chili especially when watching your favorite football team? Chili is actually very easy to make on a boat in a small galley and it keeps for a few days for great leftovers.
While I love traditional chili, there’s something about Chicken Chili that is just as tasty and makes me feel like I’m eating healthier! Happy cooking!
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Chicken Chili
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This medium spicy chili is easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser. Even my husband, who only likes traditional chili loves this recipe!
Instructions
In a large pot, heat canola oil and add onion & jalapeno. Cook until tender under medium high heat. Add diced garlic and all of the spices and cook for about 2 minutes (do not let the garlic burn). Add 1/2 of the white kidney beans and smash them in the pot. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add corn, chicken, remaining white kidney beans and pinto beans. Simmer for about 25 minutes. If you want it thicker, add 1 tbsp. of water to the corn starch and mix thoroughly. Add to the chili, stirring to keep it from clumping.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro & crushed tortilla chips.
Recipe Notes
Since I don't like chopping onions & other veggies, especially on a boat, I use my Onion Chopper by Müeller
 . It works great, collects the onion in the bin (no mess and no tears) and the clean up is easy!
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Dutch Oven for just $99. Simply keep it at a simmer, stir often and be sure to check on it regularly.
 . It works great, collects the onion in the bin (no mess and no tears) and the clean up is easy!