Chicken Pasta Primavera with Spring Vegetables

boating galley recipes

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.

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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 Yum
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
  1. Cook pasta according to the instructions - al dente'. Drain, but do not rinse. Reserve a 1/4 cup of pasta water.
  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
  4. 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.
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Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Cucumbers & Bell Peppers

Quinoa Salad with spinach, bell peppers & cucumber

Quinoa salad perfect for summer time!

Now that the weather has warmed up, I love to make a quinoa salad as both our side dish & veggie. When we’re cooking on the boat, we try to grill our protein and have our side dish all prepared for ease of prep & cleanup. Quinoa is very versatile and you can add any ingredients you like. Add a protein for a full meal.

If you haven’t cooked quinoa much, you want to make sure you rinse it first, otherwise it can taste bitter. Quinoa comes from the Andes and surprisingly it is not a grain.  What we are actually eating is the seed of the plant. It is in the goosefoot family, which also produces edibles such as chard and spinach.  Although we treat it like a grain, it is actually not at all.

These salads are so tasty, because the quinoa absorbs the dressing so well. The key to maximizing the flavor is to let the quinoa cool slightly and then add the dressing. Then mix in your veggies. You want to make sure that the quinoa is cooled off enough, that it doesn’t make the veggies soggy.

This past week, we had a friend over to our new apartment for dinner. She is on the FODMAP diet and this salad was perfect for her. As a result, she can’t eat any garlic, onions or cheese.  It was delicious, but if aren’t limited to ingredients, it’s best with minced garlic in the dressing, chopped red onion and crumbled feta cheese mixed in.

Be sure to check out the rest of our tasty recipes on our blog at www.boatingjourney.com/recipes

 

Enjoy! Ally

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Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Cucumbers & Bell Peppers Yum
This a delicious recipe for summer time that pairs great with most proteins. Be sure to make it at least one hour before serving so it marinates in the dressing.
Quinoa Salad with spinach, bell peppers & cucumber
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Quinoa Salad with spinach, bell peppers & cucumber
Instructions
  1. Rinse the quinoa. Bring quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a very low simmer and cover. Cook for about 13 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove lid and remove from heat. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes. Add lemon vinaigrette dressing (see recipe below), tossing gently. Add remaining vegetables.
    Chopped cucumber, bell peppers
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
  1. Whisk all the ingredients until blended well. Taste and adjust salt / pepper if needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
    Quinoa Salad with spinach, bell peppers & cucumber
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Red Potatoes with Spinach

Red Potatoes with Spinach, Onions & Mushrooms

Red potatoes with spinach is the perfect side dish. When prepping dinner in a small galley, it’s difficult to make two sides with your protein.  I love to combine a starch with a veggie to make just one side dish.

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My favorite combo is red potatoes with onions, mushrooms and spinach. You can also use baby kale.  Since the spinach or kale just need to be wilted slightly, I add this to the dish at the very end.

If you don’t have an oven on your boat, you can easily make this in a skillet or in a foil packet on your grill.  Scott and I grill a lot on our boat during the summer, which helps keep the cleanup in the galley to a minimum.

The last time I made this, we had leftovers. The next morning, I sautéed the potatoes in a pan with eggs to make a breakfast skillet.

Enjoy!

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Red Potatoes with Spinach Yum
This side dish is so easy and you can use the leftovers with eggs the next morning. It's a fan favorite and a great way to combine your veggies and starch!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35-40 minutes
Servings
people
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35-40 minutes
Servings
people
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with non-stick foil. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes and mushrooms with olive oil and spices. Bake on the middle rack and stir the ingredients after 20 minutes. Bake for another 15 minutes (or until the potatoes are tender). Add the spinach and mix well. Bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
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