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Brett's overly simple penne pasta
I
could have tried to make this really fancy, but
honestly, I just threw it together one night from whatever we had laying around.
It has become a family favorite. Feel free to use fresh basil and oregano.
I’m sure it would be great, but I have a large jar of dried Italian herbs in
the cupboard and it works just fine.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cups of penne pasta - I just dump the Costco bag in boiling water.
- a ton of fresh garlic - I use almost a half of clove.
- 2 chicken breasts (I actually use 5 cut up Morning Star fake sausage patties and it's good.)
- sea salt to taste - don’t skimp. I probably use more than is good for me.
- a head of broccoli - cut florets to bite sizes
- 2 tablespoons of dried or fresh Italian herbs (basically 3 parts basil & 1 part oregano)
- pine nuts - I always wanted to put them in but I never seem to have them
- grated parmesan cheese
Fill a large pot with water. Throw the broccoli in the water and bring to a boil. Be sure to pull the broccoli out soon after it starts to boil. I like it a little dense never mushy. Shortly after the water begins to boil, pull the broccoli and set it aside. Place the pasta in the boiling water until soft but still slightly firm (al dente).
While the water is heating up, Put 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Wok or fry pan (large enough for the entire dish). Press or chop garlic and place it in the oil, heat until it begins to turn slightly brown. Add the chicken or patty meat. Cook until done. Remove from heat.
Drain the cooked pasta and place in the Wok. Add the Italian herbs, pine nuts, the rest of the olive oil, parmesan, and broccoli. Turn up heat for just a minute or two while tossing the goods. It will look beautiful, serve it straight out of the pan.
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