Creamy Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, and Carrots

On Monday night I made my Spicy Taco Soup, my new favorite spicy soup recipe. But since I had it for lunch on Tuesday, I didn't feel like eating it again Tuesday night. I was on my own for dinner, so I took a chicken breast out of the freezer and whipped up this creamy pasta dish.

Don't mind the reflection in the picture - I took it outside and got a reflection of our house in the plate!

Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped and tossed with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika
• 1 sm shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 1 sm head broccoli, chopped into small florets
• 1 sm carrot, julienned (got to use my new julienne slicer!)
• Approximately 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c light cream
• Handful shredded cheese; Parmesan would work well; I used an Italian blend
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked pasta; I used thin spaghetti, but any shape would work

Directions

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan
• Add chicken, cook for 5-6 minutes, until you can't see any more pink on the outside
• Add garlic and shallots; saute 2 minutes
• Add wine, stir quickly, scraping up all of the brown bits
• Add broccoli, carrots, and red pepper flakes. Let cooking, stirring a few times, about 5 minutes.
• Move everything to the side of the pan and add the cream; bring to a steady simmer.
• Mix in the cheese, add the pasta, and toss everything to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Delicious, quick, and easy. My kind of dinner for one! And of course it was colorful - just broccoli and chicken wouldn't have been enough color for me. The orange carrots and red pepper flakes added an extra pop of color that made it pretty on my plate, and I also got some extra Vitamins A, C, and beta carotene.