Boneless skinless chicken breasts (you will get 2 servings from each)
Red bell pepper
Garlic
3-4 stems fresh basil
Bag of mixed baby greens or spinach
Part skim ricotta cheese
1 24 ounce container all natural marinara sauce
1 13 ounce package whole grain linguine
Pantry
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Toothpicks (not plastic)
Directions
Wash the red bell pepper and dry. Heat dry pan to medium-high heat. Place whole pepper in pan and roast on all sides until blackened.
Rinse under cold water and remove outer charred skin; remove stem and seeds. Chop about a third of the pepper into one inch long strips and dice the remainder.
Chop 6 or so cloves of garlic and rinse and remove stems from the basil. Leave four basil leaves whole per each chicken breast; chop the remaining basil.
For the chicken: lightly grease an 8 x 8 pan with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Wash the chicken and trim any fat. Place chicken on cutting board and slice across each breast so that you have two thin cuts.
Season each side with salt and pepper. Place two whole basil leaves, a spoonful of ricotta cheese, some chopped garlic, and two red pepper strips on the bottom half of each piece; roll from end and secure with toothpicks.
Place all of the stuffed chicken in the pan. Top each with a spoonful of ricotta, 2-3 spoonfuls of marinara, the diced red pepper, and dash of balsamic vinegar. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until done.
While chicken is baking, prepare the pasta. Cook according to package directions; before draining, reserve about a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta; add mixed greens to bottom of the pasta pot along with the remaining garlic and basil, remaining marinara, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, and the reserved pasta water. Add hot drained pasta on top; cover and let sit for about five minutes until greens are just wilted. Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine (sauce will be thick). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve pasta topped with the chicken (you may want to remove toothpicks prior to serving).
Bon Appetit! Kelly
All photos by Kelly Waters
