Fettuccine with Chicken, Spinach and Feta
Over the past few months, Jeff and I have been in empty nest mode again. As much as we have 6 children, 4 live out on their own between Foxboro and Quincy, MA, Niantic, CT and Arlington, VA and the other two are in college. Of the two remaining, one goes to the University of Missouri and lives out in Columbia, MO year around, the other is at Emerson College about 40 minutes away.
When the youngest goes back to Emerson, we only have the two of us and Jeff's mom, who lives next door. Getting use to cooking for three VS five to eight people (in the past) has been an adjustment to say the least. For a long time we would have enough leftovers for a second meal. When I say second meal, I mean 4+ servings.
This past summer, as much as we told ourselves we wouldn't buy any more cookbooks, Jeff started buying some one pan or one pot cookbooks. They have been wonderful because we can come home, make a quick dish and feed about 4 people. This is perfect, leaving one additional serving which is great for lunch during the week.
This recipe of Fettuccine with Chicken, Spinach and Feta came from a cookbook called One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder. It is a cookbook that has all its recipes based around one cast iron pan. We LOVE it. As much as I haven't reported on many of the recipes, I can say we have made at least 5-7 of them. Not only are the meals delicious, they are fairly easy and the ingredients are ones you will have in your kitchen. I like the cookbook so much that our three girls, and probably my son, are going to get a cast iron pan with the cookbook for Christmas (shhh...don't tell them!).
The other cookbooks we have been using are:
- One Good Dish - David Tanis
- Martha Stewart Living - One Pot
- Sunday Casseroles - Betty Rosbottom
I will be leaning on these books over the next few blog articles. They might be worth investing in, especially if you are looking for easy, delicious dishes.
OK, back to the recipe. The Fettuccine with Chicken, Spinach and Feta was delicious. I will tell you, I had reservations about the dish when we were making it. I was afraid it was going to be bland. The feta and lemon juice do a wonderful job of flavoring the dish. As I was finishing the last few strands of fettuccine, I thought, we definitely need to put this on the "repeat this recipe" list. Having a blog and so many cookbooks, we tend to make one dish and then never make it again. Not because we don't like it, it's just that we like to try different dishes. We do have our standard "go-to" recipes but that list is short.
If you are looking for a very easy, very tasty recipe for lunch or dinner, I can guarantee your family, friends and/or guests will enjoy this dish.
Do you have a favorite one pot dish or casserole that your family enjoys? Send me the recipe! We would love to try it out.
Ingredients for Fettuccine with Chicken, Spinach and Feta from One Pan, Two Dishes
- 10 ounces of fresh linguine or fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 - 5 ounce bag of baby spinach
- 1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup of lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional
Preparation:
1. In a large stock pot, add water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to boil and cook pasta according to the directions. You want to cook the pasta to "al dente". Before draining, save 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta, run through cold water to stop the pasta from cooking, put the pasta water and pasta aside.
2. In a large skillet, or your cast iron pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil once the pan is hot. Add the onions and saute until the onions begin to soften - about 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a sprinkle of pepper. Saute until the chicken is almost cooked (about 3-4 minutes) and add about 1/4 cup of pasta water to scape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the spinach, stirring and tossing until the leaves are wilted.
5. Add the pasta to the pan with the 1/4 cup of pasta water, the feta cheese and the lemon juice. Stir until the feta begins to melt a bit. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Add a few red pepper flakes if you enjoy a bit of heat to your pasta. We added about a 1/4 teaspoon.
This recipe will serve 2-3 people.
