Growing up my mother described me as a “food-motivated person.” At first, I scoffed at this passive aggressive dig at my poor eating habits, but recently I realized how right she is. I have been guilty of attending club meetings for free food, bullying my friends into going to a specific restaurant and preparing elaborate meals from the comfort of my dorm’s kitchen.
In fact, having my own kitchen was one of the central reasons I moved off of campus my sophomore year. With Valentine’s Day approaching, I know that not all of us cash-strapped college kids can afford to treat our significant other (or friends – if you opt for a girl’s night) to a dinner around town.
Instead, I hope to provide you with the know-how to create a delicious (and easy to prepare) dinner. Plus, it feeds four for under $20!
Chicken Basil Pasta
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Tbsp oil/butter
2 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (or thighs if that is more your scene)
1 box of Penne or Rotini Pasta
1 medium onion
1 medium red pepper
10 fresh basil leaves (feel free to add more or less!)
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (shredded)
2 cloves garlic
Salt
Directions
- Start by adding 1 tbsp to a large frying pan
- Cut up chicken into 1 inch cubes
- Wait for the oil to get hot (but not smoking – you want the chicken to sizzle when it hits the pan)
- Add pasta to boiling water
- Add the chicken, allow it to fry for 4 minutes, or until most visible pink is gone but not fully cooked.
- Medium dice the onion (that is just a fancy word for chop into 1 cm size pieces)
- Chop the red pepper so it is the size of a shoe string French fry
- Add peppers and onion to the chicken
- Add chopped up garlic
- Drain pasta when cooked
- Add ¼ cup parmesan cheese to the pasta in the colander – stir
- Add a ¼ parmesan to chicken stir fry –stir
- Add pasta to stir fry
- Combine and gradually add remaining parmesan
- Let the dish sit on the stove and cook slightly so pasta is hot
- Serve and prepare to be amazed!
- Salt to taste