Carbs and protein make me a very happy woman. Fortunately for my arteries and waistline, I also like vegetables. So, the other night, when I had nothing planned for dinner, I threw together some of my favorite things that I already had in my kitchen: chicken, orzo, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives and mozzarella cheese.
It felt good to use up some of the food I already had in my apartment. I’ve had the orzo in my cabinet forever, it seems, and I buy the jarred kalamata olives, so they last quite a while. Plus, Trader Joe’s had a big container of grape tomatoes for less money than four of their plum tomatoes, so I had to use up some of those, too. For the sauce, I simply heated some crushed red pepper and garlic in olive oil, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and Herbes De Provence, and added a splash of lemon juice for some acidity (I had no white wine). The end result was delicious, creamy (thanks to the melted shredded mozzarella cheese), satisfying, and free (technically). That’s my kind of dinner.
Michelle, this sounds delicious. I prefer Parmesan over mozzarella and always have a chunk in my fridge. This is going on my menu for next week. Thanks for the menu planning help. I'll just need to buy some chicken and grape tomatoes to make it. And maybe add in that can of artichoke hearts sitting in my cabinet. Or maybe I'll make it even cheaper by using a package of Hot Italian Chicken Sausage from the freezer. Hmmm, so many possibilities.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Patti! And sausage in this dish would be delicious! Let me know when you make it. :)
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