Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans, Ricotta & Toasted Walnuts

Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans

Today was one of those days – rainy, overcast, dreary, and oh, Monday. I also had a ton of things in my fridge that I need to clean out and organize. What a better day than today to do that, and whip up something delicious with all those goodies that needed to be used up.

Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans

I had a whole spatchcocked chicken that I had already grilled and roasted last week, plus a bunch of spinach, shallots,  some white beans and garlic. I thought I’d make a healthy and delicious Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans served in a silky, savory sauce made with lemon zest and juice, white wine, butter, olive oil and chicken stock; infused with red pepper flakes, rosemary,  aged Ricotta Salata and topped off with some toasted walnuts for extra crunch.

Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans

It’s such an easy and satisfying dish to make and it’s super healthy too, with tons of protein from the chicken and beans, and vitamin c from the spinach and lemon..and the silky savory sauce is just beautiful – light and bright, perfect for Spring. I also used a whole wheat penne pasta for some extra fiber and nutty flavor to go with the toasted walnuts which give a super nice crunchy texture.

Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens and Beans

All you need is a glass of lovely white wine, and maybe some crunchy toasted bread with olive oil and more grated cheese to go with it. And forget that the sun isn’t out today. And that it’s cold and dreary. And that it’s Monday.

And just be happy where you are, right here. Right now.

Lemony Rosemary Chicken Pasta with Greens & Beans

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

This is a light and bright lemony pasta dish with roasted shredded chicken, sauteed spinach, white beans, garlic, shallots, and rosemary in a light wine and chicken broth sauce with grated ricotta salata cheese and topped with toasted walnuts for extra crunch.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 1/2 bunches of fresh spinach
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine or dry sherry
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 1/3 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup aged ricotta salata cheese (or grated parmesan)
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (grilled or rotisserie)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, crushed and toasted

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
  2. Wash and trim spinach, cut shallots and garlic, drain white beans, zest and juice lemon and set aside along with other prepped ingredients (broth, wine, half and half, cheese, rosemary, red pepper flakes.)
  3. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute shallots for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
  4. Increase heat to medium high, add spinach, red pepper flakes and rosemary; saute together for about 5 minutes until spinach is wilted, but still bright green.
  5. Add the cannelini beans and saute, stirring together for another few minutes until heated through.
  6. Add chicken broth, wine, lemon juice and zest and continue cooking with spinach and beans for a few minutes. Add the half and half and grated ricotta cheese, stir to combine.
  7. Stir in the cooked shredded chicken and cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keep warm on medium-low heat.
  8. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the saute pan with the chicken, greens and beans, adding the reserved pasta water and stir to combine.
  9. Crush the walnuts into small pieces and toast over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes in a small saute pan until lightly browned and nutty flavor.
  10. Serve the pasta in large bowls with additional grated cheese, toasted walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

This recipe calls for whole wheat penne but you can use any pasta you desire. You can also experiment with other types of greens - chard, beet greens, dandelion greens, etc. Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese can also be used if you can't find aged Ricotta Salata. Toasted pine nuts or breadcrumbs would also be great in place of the toasted walnuts.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2015/04/lemony-rosemary-chicken-pasta-with-greens-and-beans-ricotta-toasted-walnuts/

Superfoods Recipes for a Healthy New Year

Once the holidays are over, it’s time for a break from all the super rich food and cocktails and detox with some healthy recipes made with some of my favorite superfoods for a fresh start to a healthy New Year!

What’s all the fuss over superfoods about? They help step up your immunity, boost energy, slow down aging, lift your spirits, improve circulation, detox, improve sleep, and they have healing benefits too. And they just make you feel better and healthier all around. Colorful fruits and vegetables possess tons of vitamins and minerals – start ‘eating the rainbow’, and you’re off to a healthy start, and you can complement it with supplements as thai kratom.

Veggie Bean Soup

The best way to get your fix of Superfoods is to make a big pot of veggie soup in the middle of winter, not only for it’s warming properties, but also because soup gives a big dose of healthy vegetables that boost the immune system, as well as detox and cleanse the body with its healthy ingredients, antibacterial properties, vitamins and minerals, also people use different kind of supplements to burn fat and be healthy just visit site and find out the best ones.

Simmer Soup KitchenAid Stockpot

I’ve created a super healthy soup recipe that I made with my KitchenAid 11-cup Food Processor, that is so convenient to chop, grate and shred all those lovely veggies. Then I just threw them all in my KitchenAid 8-Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot (part of the Stainless Steel 8-piece set that I just got!) to make a delicious and heartwarming Vegetable and Bean Soup. The Stockpot is great because it heats up fast on the stovetop to sauté all the veggies and seasonings and it has etched measurement markings inside the pot that make it easy to measure all the liquids for the soup.

Soup_Ingredients

My soup is full of onions, garlic and chicken stock, which all help build the immunity system and keep the colds away. It also has tons of fresh veggies including zucchini, kale, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and northern white beans topped with grated Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil and some crusty whole wheat bread for dipping.

Kiwi Apple Berry Blast Smoothie

The New Year is also a great time to cleanse and detox by eating lots of healthy Superfood fruits! I love all berries that are full of antioxidants, with plenty of vitamins for a super boost in the morning.

Smoothie_Ingredients

I’ve created a delicious Kiwi Apple Berry Blast Smoothie recipe made with kiwi, apples, vanilla greek yogurt, almond milk, blueberries, acai berry puree, honey, lemon zest, flax seed and raw almonds.

Fruit and Almonds KitchenAid Diamond Blender

I simply threw all the ingredients into my powerhouse KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender with 5 different settings that does all the stirring, mixing, blending, pureeing and heavy lifting for me.And the smoothie is a healthy breakfast or snack, giving a big boost of protein and energy from the yogurt, almond milk, flax seeds and almonds; antioxidants from the berries and honey; and betacarotene, vitamin E and C from the kiwi fruit and lemon zest.

Click here to read the full post on the Kitchenthusiast blog by KitchenAid for more photos and recipes!

Garlicky Greens and Beans with Sausage

Garlicky Greens & Beans with Sausage

Garlicky Greens and Beans

On a recent trip up to Rochester, I had the pleasure of discovering a lovely little Italian place called the Mona Lisa Café. My mother and I stopped in there on a whim one afternoon for a cappuccino, but after entering the café and seeing all the delicious pastries and gelato and enticing smells of amazing food, we decided to stay for lunch instead.

We sat at a table by a large window and enjoyed a glass of wine while perusing the menu. At first we thought we would just split an appetizer, but there were just too many tasty choices on the menu to settle for just one item. We opted for a delicious Italian Panini and their amazing Greens and Beans appetizer made with escarole and cannelloni beans sautéed with heaps of garlic, savory Italian sausage, white wine, olive oil and bread crumbs topped with Parmesan cheese. WOW. Best thing I’ve ever tasted! I loved this dish so much I was inspired to recreate it at home, and my own version of Garlicky Greens and Beans with Sausage I now present to you. Delicioso!

Garlicky Greens and Beans with Sausage

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Fingerling potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or chunks
  • 1 1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage (may use chicken or turkey sausage if you prefer)
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped fine
  • 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • 1 large bunch of greens (I used collards, but you can use spinach, kale, escarole, or mustard/turnip greens)
  • 1 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for garnish
  • Crusty bread or garlic bread, for dipping

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain potatoes, cut into quarters or chunks, depending on the size.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
  3. At the same time, add 1/2 inch of water to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add sausages to and cover with a lid, simmering for 10 minutes (without turning). Remove the lid, turn sausages over, and cook for another 5 minutes until almost cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, measure out your liquids and dry seasonings and set aside.
  5. Chop the garlic.
  6. Wash the greens well and drain. Remove and discard the veins and stems, cutting leafy green parts off on either side into 1-inch strips.
  7. Remove sausages from pan and cut into coin-sized chunks. Drain fat from pan and wipe down.
  8. Add 1 tablespoon of oil into the same pan and return to medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute while stirring often, for about 1 minute being careful not to burn garlic.
  9. Add additional 3 tablespoons of oil and start sauteing greens by the handful until they are just starting to wilt.
  10. Add cannellini beans, sausage, potatoes, broth, water and minced onion; bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
  11. Remove lid, add 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so until the liquid reduces a little (you can simmer it down longer if you like a thicker stew or add more broth/water if you like a thinner stew).
  12. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  13. Serve the Greens and Beans in large bowls topped with shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and crusty bread for dipping in the broth.
  14. Delicioso!

Notes

Substitute sweet Italian sausage with chicken or turkey sausage or omit all together and adjust water/broth down to 2 cups if you prefer a vegetarian dish.

Mona Lisa Cafe uses breadcrumbs and white wine in their dish which I omitted in my version because of the starch from the potatoes and adding a splash of white wine vinegar which gives it a nice tangy flavor to the broth. Feel free to experiment by topping it with toasted breadcrumbs and using some wine in place of the water in my recipe, but you'll need to adjust the amount of liquids down if you omit the potatoes from the dish so it's not too watery/brothy. The consistency should be of a nice light stew with a balance between the meat and vegetables and the broth.

Serve with a dry white Italian wine such as Pinot Grigio and crusty bread for dipping up the broth.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2013/04/garlicky-greens-and-beans-with-sausage/

Garlicky Greens and Beans

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Italian Sausage and Kale Soup

White Bean and Escarole Soup with Meatballs

Sausage and Bean Soup with Pasta

Greens and Beans with Sausage

All photographs, copy and content on this post and website are copyright © 2010-2016 Kristen Hess Styling & Photography and The Artful Gourmet. Please do not use, share or distribute in any way without my expressed permission granted or at least with a link back to my original blog post with credit to me. Thanks!

Italian White Bean, Vegetable & Pasta Soup

Italian White Bean, Vegetable & Pasta Soup
Italian White Bean, Vegetable & Pasta Soup

I always look forward to the season change to Autumn – there’s something calming to the beautiful colors of the leaves, the cooler temperatures, and sunny skies. It’s a time of harvesting and celebration of autumnal fruits of the earth mixed with a sadness for the upcoming cold Winter months.

I love the heartier, warming foods Autumn brings, and there’s nothing better than a delicious bowl of homemade soup. It reminds me of when I was a kid – my Mom would always have a big pot of soup simmering away on the stove to warm us up after a day outside romping in the leaves in the brisk, cool weather. Mom’s soup was always something to look forward to and a safe haven to come home to.

This recipe for Italian White Bean, Vegetable & Pasta Soup is a simple and nutritious soup chock full of fresh vegetables and herbs, pasta and Italian Great Northern white beans. It’s great topped with some freshly grated cheese, served with crusty bread and a leafy green salad.

The good news with vegetable soup is you can substitute just about any veggies you want – throw in some kale or spinach, zucchini, green beans, peas, corn; whatever your heart desires. It’s healthy and filling and warming to the soul.

And it’s definitely worth taking a romp in the leaves if you know there’s a pot of goodness on the stove waiting for you.

Italian White Bean, Vegetable & Pasta Soup

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 3 cups chopped fresh tomato
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 1-2 stalks diced celery
  • ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
  • ½ zucchini squash, cut into thin slices, halved
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • ½ cups dried pasta (bow-tie, penne or shells)
  • 1 can Italian white beans
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon dried ground fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or ¼ tbsp. dried)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil (or ¼ tbsp. dried)
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups vegetable stock (low sodium)
  • A few fresh thyme sprigs or leaves (for garnish)
  • Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery, bell pepper and zucchini over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add the pasta, white beans, salt and pepper to taste, paprika, fennel seed, chopped fresh herbs, water and vegetable stock; cover and simmer over medium-low for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through and vegetables are tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, and extra stock or water to adjust desired consistency and thickness.
  3. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and freshly grated cheese; serve with crusty Italian bread and a leafy green salad.

Notes

Feel free to substitute or add any veggies you like to the soup: Zucchini, Green Beans, Squash, Corn, Peas, etc.

Adjust thinness or thickness of soup by adding more or less broth and/or water to the soup while it cooks down.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2012/10/italian-white-bean-pasta-soup/