Name: Summer Garden Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. box of spaghetti noodles; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved; 4 heaping cups broccoli ((I used 2 crowns: 1 small & 1 large.)); ~1 lb. chicken breasts ((or a rotisserie chicken)); 1/3 cup olive oil + some for drizzling over broccoli; 1/3-1/4 cup lemon juice ((depending on how lemon-y you like it)); 3 tsp Italian seasoning; 1 + 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided ((the 1/4-1/2 tsp. depends on your preference)); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus some for topping

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I think I’m pretty much always on the lookout for a new recipe even if it takes me a little while to actually cook that recipe. Someone that I follow on Instagram shared a basic pasta recipe & I knew right away that I wanted to try it ASAP! Looking back at the picture she shared of her pasta, I realize mine is not that similar but it did give me the inspiration to make my own! I’m calling it “Summer Garden Pasta”!

I have become that person I used to strongly dislike: the one that eyeballs everything & doesn’t have a recipe. The first time I made this, I eyeballed it. When I made it again, I had to actually measure everything for y’all. Safe to say I love ya!

I am seriously so excited to share this Summer Garden Pasta with you because you can so easily make it your own!

I love love love this pasta & it’s so easy to make!

Let me break down the Summer Garden Pasta recipe for you!

Vegetables:

Use whatever vegetables you want! I used cherry tomatoes & broccoli. You can use asparagus, zucchini, squash, a little bit of everything, whatever floats your boat.

I live in a house divided. Not about sports but broccoli. Half of the house ONLY likes it steamed. The other half really likes it roasted. So I tried to have the best of both worlds & I roasted half of the broccoli & steamed the other half. It all gets tossed together but that way there’s something to make everyone happy. If there’s a unanimous consensus on broccoli in your house, feel free to make it only that way. (I’ll add a recipe note at the bottom to explain how to do make it all one way.) To me, it doesn’t take any extra time to steam a portion of the broccoli which is why I don’t mind doing it. 🙂

Halved Cherry tomatoes for the Summer Garden Pasta

Meat:

I use chicken in this recipe but you could also use shrimp! I think that would be so good! Rub Italian seasoning all over both sides of the chicken & if you use shrimp you would do the same (you may need less Italian seasoning but I would suggest seasoning to your preference :)).

Guess what? Want to eat this on Meatless Monday? Or trying to cut back on meat? Make it without it! It will still be sooo good!

I grill the chicken because that’s how we prefer it in my house but you can bake or sauté the chicken too. Cook according to whichever method you like best!

Pasta:

You can use whatever pasta you have on hand. The recipe that sparked this recipe I created used penne pasta. I didn’t have any & couldn’t find it at the store so I used spaghetti noodles & I wouldn’t want it any other way. That was a blessing in disguise! The spaghetti noodles really allow all of the ingredients to come together & I think makes it easier to eat but that’s just me. Use whatever you got! Bowtie noodles would be good with this too.

Seasoning:

Olive oil is used to toss the pasta & make it all come together. I use lemon juice to give it some flavor. We like things a little lemon-y so I use 1/3 cup of lemon juice. If you don’t like it lemon-y, use ¼ cup. It gives it a subtle flavor but you don’t fully taste the lemon. I didn’t have any lemons on hand so I used lemon juice from a bottle but if you have fresh lemons, feel free to use them!

I also used garlic powder to add more flavor. Again, this is a preference thing. I used somewhere between ¼- ½ of a teaspoon so add whatever amount you prefer!

I add all of the toppings, the oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese then toss it all together. Voila! Now it’s time to eat!

Sides:

This dish is great by itself but you know what else is good with it? Garlic toast. SO GOOD! A salad would be good with it too if you’re looking to be a little healthier about it. Haha!

Leftovers:

This is great the first time you eat it & it’s also good the second time! I reheat it on the stove (microwave works too!) & add a little oil & lemon juice so it’s moist enough & to make it all come together again.

See how easy this is?! And it’s very forgiving so don’t worry about “messing it up”. You can’t. Remember how I said that I initially just eyeballed it? If I can do that & have it turn out good, then you can too. 🙂

Summer Garden Pasta

The perfect easy, light, & fresh pasta! Full of vegetables & chicken it's very easy to customize & make it your own!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 lb. box of spaghetti noodles
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 heaping cups broccoli (I used 2 crowns: 1 small & 1 large.)
~1 lb. chicken breasts (or a rotisserie chicken)
1/3 cup olive oil + some for drizzling over broccoli
1/3-1/4 cup lemon juice (depending on how lemon-y you like it)
3 tsp Italian seasoning
1 + 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided (the 1/4-1/2 tsp. depends on your preference)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus some for topping

Instructions

Fill up a large pot with water to cook the spaghetti noodles, add a turn or two of the pot with olive oil, & add a heavy pinch of salt. Place it on the stove & turn it on to bring to a boil.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the broccoli on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle some olive oil over the broccoli. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of garlic powder plus ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper on top. Using your hands or tongs, toss the broccoli all together so it’s covered in olive oil and the seasonings. Set aside.
Using the 3 tsp. of Italian seasoning, rub it over both sides of the chicken breasts. Set aside
Place the broccoli in the oven to roast for 18 minutes.
When the water for the pasta is boiling, add the noodles & cook them to your liking. I like it past al dente so I cook them for roughly 14 minutes.
Cook the chicken however you prefer: sauté,bake, or grill. I grill & depending on how big they are, I cook them for roughly 7 minutes per side.
While everything is cooking, halve the cherry tomatoes.
During the last few minutes of cooking time for the roasted broccoli, pasta, & chicken, place the remaining two cups of broccoli in a microwaveable bowl. Wet a paper towel & squeeze out excess water over the broccoli, place the paper towel over the bowl, place in the microwave & cook for 2 minutes.
When the pasta is ready, drain it into a colander & immediately place back into the pot. Once the chicken is done, cut it up into bite sized pieces.
Add the roasted broccoli, steamed broccoli,cherry tomatoes, & chicken on top of the noodles.
Pour the 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/3- ¼ cup of lemon juice (depending on your preference), plus a ¼- ½ tsp. of garlic powder (depending on your preference) and the ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
Toss it all together & enjoy!

Notes

If you want to roast all of the broccoli, double the amount of seasoning for it & roast it for 20-22 minutes. Begin checking around the 20 minute mark.

If you want to steam all of the broccoli, follow the same instructions but cook it for 2 minutes & 35 seconds.

Keyword chicken, dinner, pasta, vegetables

Let me know if you try this yummy Summer Garden Pasta! Just sitting here typing up this post has made me want to make it again…& I just made it last week.

Love,

You can find more of my recipes here & here!