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jason's no leftover pasta

(1 rating)
JasonVincik avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Jason Vincik
@JasonVincik
New York, NY

This is one of my favorite recipes. It's creamy, bacony, mushroomy, sun-dried tomatoey, pestoey - full of so much flavor, you'll wonder how you made it through life without ever trying it! The real secret to this dish is mastering your sauce-making skills. Constantly stirring the cream and watching the temperature of the pan is absolutely critical to the success of this decadent bechamel sauce. If you don't eat bacon, no problem. Just be sure to substitute the flavor with salt or lemon zest to balance out the naturally sweet cream flavor.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

We guarantee you won't have leftovers when you serve this pasta dinner. Super creamy, the sauce has so many flavors that work well together. Pesto stands out and we loved the basil flavor. Sun-dried potatoes add some sweetness. That's all balanced by the smoky flavor bacon gives the cream sauce. Pan-fried chicken adds protein to the dish. We opted for bow-tie pasta, but you could really use your favorite type of pasta. Restaurant quality, your family will think you placed a to-go order to enjoy at home. There are a few steps, but this is a relatively easy pasta recipe.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(1 rating)
yield 4 -6
prep time 15 Min
cook time 1 Hr 45 Min
method Saute

Ingredients For jason's no leftover pasta

  • 5 slice
    bacon
  • 6 md
    sun-dried tomatoes
  • 4 tsp
    pesto
  • 1 Tbsp
    minced garlic
  • 1/4 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 c
    heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 c
    milk
  • 1 1/2 c
    chicken stock, no salt
  • 1 pkg
    baby portobello mushrooms (8 oz)
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter, unsalted
  • 1 c
    white wine, dry
  • 1 lg
    chicken breast
  • 1 box
    pasta, bow-tie, farfalle (12 oz)
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    black pepper

How To Make jason's no leftover pasta

  • Frying chopped bacon.
    1
    Chop bacon into small pieces. Cook on medium-high heat until well done. Do not discard the fat!
  • Sun-dried tomatoes added to the bacon.
    2
    Cut sun-dried tomatoes into small slivers. Saute in the hot pan with the bacon for 2-3 minutes.
  • Stirring in pesto.
    3
    Reduce heat to medium, and carefully stir in the pesto. The extra oil in the pesto may cause it to splatter, so take caution.
  • Minced garlic added to the pan.
    4
    Add minced garlic to the pan, and stir until the garlic is lightly browned or until you begin to smell the fragrance of the garlic cooking. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
  • Flour stirred into the pan.
    5
    Sift flour over the mixture evenly, and stir to combine. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes to cook away the taste of the flour. If the ingredients appear to be too dry or browning too quickly, add a small amount of olive oil or butter to the pan.
  • Heavy cream added to the pan.
    6
    Add heavy cream to the pan and stir thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.
  • Stirring milk into the sauce.
    7
    Stir milk slowly into the sauce until combined. Continue to stir the sauce for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
  • Stirring in chicken stock.
    8
    Once the sauce begins to thicken, slowly stir in the chicken broth. Keep stirring until all ingredients are well combined.
  • Salt and pepper added to the sauce.
    9
    Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer at a slow pace.
  • Cutting chicken breasts in half.
    10
    Filet the chicken breast into 1/2" thick cutlets.
  • Seasoning the chicken cutlets.
    11
    Lightly salt both sides of the cutlets. Sprinkle coarse black pepper generously over cutlets on both sides.
  • Cooking the chicken cutlets.
    12
    In a hot grill pan, grill the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Be sure to keep an eye on the sauce and stir it often.
  • Chicken cutlets cut into strips.
    13
    Remove the chicken from the pan and cut it into small strips or small cubes.
  • Adding chicken to the cream sauce.
    14
    Add chicken to the cream sauce and combine well.
  • Cooking mushrooms in butter.
    15
    Melt butter in a large pan and add mushrooms. Lightly salt the mushrooms.
  • Sauteeing mushrooms until tender.
    16
    Saute the mushrooms until they become slightly tender, about 2-3 minutes.
  • White wine added to the mushrooms.
    17
    Add white wine to the mushrooms. Be sure to use a dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio - nothing too sweet. Cook the mushrooms until the white wine is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Speaking of stirring - don't forget to stir your cream sauce! Continue to saute mushrooms for 1-2 minutes after the white wine is dissolved.
  • Mushrooms stirred into the cream sauce.
    18
    Remove from heat and stir the mushrooms into the cream sauce.
  • Continuing to cook the sauce.
    19
    Cook all ingredients on low heat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the entire mixture is creamy.
  • Cooking the pasta.
    20
    Cook pasta according to al-dente instructions on the packaging, about 1-2 minutes shorter time than fully cooked.
  • Folding pasta into the cream sauce.
    21
    Strain the pasta and gently fold it into the cream sauce. You may not need all the pasta - I like mine really creamy, so save some of the extra pasta for a tuna pasta salad tomorrow :-) After combining all ingredients, remove from heat and serve immediately. TIP: To reheat, just add a little bit of milk, and cook on low heat. Microwaving this dish may not produce the same creamy results you get when the dish is initially done cooking.
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