Italian Chicken Pasta Toss

This recipe is so fresh and is full of vegetables. My husband and I really enjoyed it, but the kids, not so much. They aren't used to zucchini and red peppers. We still make them try it but they mostly stuck to the tomatoes, chicken, pasta and peas.

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss
adapted from Pampered Chef Casual Cooking

3 cups uncooked bow-tie pasta
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp Italian seasoning mix
1 tsp salt
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Press garlic into skillet and saute with onions. Add chicken. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium. Remove chicken and set-aside. Add zucchini, pepper, seasoning mix and salt; stir-fry 2 minutes.

3. In a large bowl combine warm pasta, chicken and veggie mixture, peas and tomatoes. Toss until well combined. Serve with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

It takes about 20 minutes to prepare this dish. I chopped all my veggies in the time it took for my water to boil and my pasta to cook. Just make sure to keep the pasta warm while waiting for the meat and veggies to cook. You can make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the chicken. Enjoy!!