Pasta with Chicken & Grilled Veggies
Submitted by stayathomemommy
Fettuccine tossed with grilled chicken, portobello mushrooms, Japanese eggplant, charred roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and Parmesan. A summer pasta loaded with smoky flavor.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
25 minREADY
60 minThis pasta is all about the grill doing the work. Chicken breasts, portobello mushrooms, Japanese eggplant, and roma tomatoes all get charred over medium heat, then cut up and tossed with fettuccine, olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan. Every bite has that smoky, caramelized edge you can only get from a grill.
Grilling the roma tomatoes skin-side down only is a smart technique. You get that charred flavor without losing the juices. Save every drop when you cut them up because those juices become part of the sauce when everything gets tossed together.
Japanese eggplant is the right choice here. It’s thinner and more tender than globe eggplant, so it grills quickly and doesn’t need salting to draw out bitterness. Cook it until it’s soft all the way through. Under-cooked grilled eggplant is spongy and unpleasant.
The pasta gets tossed with olive oil, garlic, basil, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and a quarter cup of Parmesan while still hot. That heat blooms the garlic and melts the cheese into a light coating before the grilled chicken and vegetables join in for a final toss.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep the pasta in hot water until you’re ready to toss. Cold pasta clumps and won’t absorb the olive oil and garlic.
- Oil the chicken and vegetables lightly before grilling. Too much oil causes flare-ups; too little and everything sticks.
- The portobellos can be grilled whole then sliced, or sliced first and grilled. Whole caps are easier to manage on the grates.
Variations
- Add grilled zucchini or bell peppers for even more vegetables.
- Use penne instead of fettuccine if you want the pasta to catch more of the olive oil and garlic in its tubes.
- Swap Parmesan for crumbled goat cheese for a tangier, creamier finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook pasta al dente, set aside in hot water to keep hot.
Lightly oil and grill chicken, eggplant, mushrooms, and roma tomatoes over med heat until done.
Cook tomatoes on skin side only, so as not to lose any juice.
Eggplant should be soft, tomatoes hot and lightly charred, and mushrooms and chicken cooked through.
Cut chicken and eggplant into bite-sized pieces, and slice portobellos.
(You can slice them first and grill the slices if you prefer) If the mushrooms are large, you may need to halve the slices.
Cut tomato halves into two or four pieces, saving juice.
Drain pasta, and toss with several drizzles of olive oil, garlic, basil, sundried tomatoes and ¼ cup cheese.
Add chicken and veggies, toss again.
Season to taste with salt and pepper Serve hot with the rest of the cheese. NOTE: The amounts may be played with, especially the amounts of chicken and pasta, and the mushrooms may be sautéed in butter rather than grilled if preferred.
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