In case you haven’t noticed, I make a lot of other people’s recipes. I’m disproportionately proud of myself when I actually concoct my own little culinary creation to share on this blog. I feel like I should always put the word “Beth’s” in front of everything that isn’t derived from someone else’s cooking instructions. So, using that logic, technically this is Beth’s Roasted Veggie and Chicken Penne recipe.

I’ve never made anything quite like this before, but I wanted to use up some of the vegetables I had around the kitchen, as well as a couple lemon oregano roasted chicken breasts that I picked up from Costco. For the record, my husband Daniel recommends that I never buy the breasts again and that next time I should buy the whole chicken. So just his two cents on the matter if you ever find yourself standing in front of the metal heat-lamped shelves at your local warehouse store.

The concept behind this recipe (roast a bunch of veggies and cook chicken in their caramelized juices) is a definite keeper. The only part my husband didn’t love was the broccoli. He was really excited when I suggested doing artichoke hearts next time. But the beauty of this recipe is the concept because you can totally improvise with whatever veggies you have on hand. You don’t even need to include the chicken, of course!

Hope you like it, too!

Roasted Veggie and Chicken Penne
Serves 4 or more

1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes, whole
1/2 a medium onion (quartered and separated)
2 bell peppers cut (I used one yellow and one orange)
6 whole cloves of garlic
about a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil

4 servings of whole wheat penne pasta or similar

2 roasted chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cups of fresh broccoli florets or artichoke hearts (frozen or canned in water)
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
salt
pepper
lemon juice to taste
toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan to garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with tin foil. Toss the veggies with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on the cookie sheet. Put the veggies in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Keep it al dente. If you can, try and time it to be done at about the same time the veggies are done warming through in the skillet (see procedure below).

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer the hot veggies and all of the juices into the skillet. Mix in the chopped chicken, too. Add the broccoli or artichoke hearts and a cup of broth. Cover the skillet and steam for about 5 minutes until the broccoli is steamed and bright green or the artichoke hearts are warmed through and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze a little lemon into the sauce, too, and stir. Add the cooked pasta into the mix directly from the pasta water. It’s a good idea to include a little bit of the starchy pasta water in your spoonfuls of pasta. Garnish with parmesan and pine nuts.

Serve and enjoy!