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Pasta with Kale Pesto, Chicken, and Roasted Tomatoes

Three Stars Guiding Stars
  • Servings:

    Serves 6 as an appetizer
  • Prep Time:

    30 minutes
  • Cook Time:

    32 minutes

Ingredients

olive oil cooking spray
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 pints cherry tomatoes
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 (12 to 13.25 oz.) pkg. whole wheat rotini or penne pasta
6 cups packed coarsely chopped kale, leaves and stems
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
walnut halves for garnish (optional)
basil sprigs for garnish (optional)
Pasta with Kale Pesto, Chicken, and Roasted Tomatoes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken on sheet. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of the pepper. Bake until meat is cooked through and an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, chop chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Toss tomatoes with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and thyme; spread out on baking sheet used for the chicken. Bake until tomatoes are softened and beginning to shrivel, about 12 minutes.
3. While chicken cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, then transfer back to the pot used for cooking.
4. While pasta cooks, prepare the pesto. Place kale, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp. pepper in a food processor and process until kale is minced. With the machine running, pour in 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil through the feed tube and blend until pureed. Add pesto to pasta, along with chopped chicken, and toss well to coat.
5. To serve, divide pasta among 6 plates and top each with roasted tomatoes. If desired, garnish with walnut halves or basil sprigs.
Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, January - February 2015

Nutrition

Nutritional Facts
Servings Serves 6
Base Nutrients
Calories 520 kcal (26%)
Calories from Fat 162 kcal (0%)
Total Fat 18 g (28%)
Saturated Fat 3 g (13%)
Cholesterol 55 mg (18%)
Sodium 170 mg (7%)
Total Carbohydrates 59 g (20%)
Dietary Fiber 9 g (36%)
Protein 32 g (53%)
Vitamins
Vitamin A n/a
Vitamin C n/a
Minerals
Calcium n/a
Iron n/a
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