pesto presto! #pastapalooza challenge.

hi! i have a special recipe and post for you guys today. and, actually, i need your help!

the reason i need your help is below.. but if you are coming just for the link,

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR MY RECIPE!

you can vote daily for the next week!

do you guys like the show chopped? i love it! i always think it would be so fun to go on the show and try my hand at the basket of random ingredients the contestants are given.

as a dreamfields ambassador, i had the opportunity to participate in a chopped-like competition! granted, the basket of ingredients was wayyy more tame than what the chopped contestants are given.. but it was the same idea and it was fun to make a recipe up! plus, i haven’t really done a lot of recipe development lately.. so it was really awesome to have the chance to get back in the kitchen, doing what i love.

all summer long, dreamfields has been working with food bloggers to create delicious recipes using pasta, and to raise much needed funds for food banks with their #pastapalooza market basket challenges. they are generously donating $14,000 (!!!!) to go to food banks this summer.

here’s how it works:

• for each challenge, dreamfields fans, friends and followers are asked to vote for the recipe they like best. you can cast one vote per day for the recipe of your choice. each challenge will last one week.
• the winning recipe/blogger will receive a $1,000 donation made in their name to their local food bank. AND.. a $200 donation will also be made to the local food bank of each runner-up!
• PLUS – one voter from each market basket challenge will be chosen at random to win a family pack of dreamfields pasta AND a $1,000 donation to the food bank of their choice. the more you vote, the more chances you have to win!

so, i am participating in the market basket challenge that starts TODAY! i have been asked to use the specified ingredients (plus up to two additional ingredients to round out the meal, and water, salt, pepper, and olive oil are “free” ingredients.)

for the “pesto presto challenge basket”, i was required to use:

• dreamfields pasta
• pesto
• a fresh vegetable
• poultry
• cheese
• broth

i got all my ingredients together, and made sure i had my kitchen helper ready for the action.

 
here is what i came up with!

stuffed chicken & pesto penne with asparagus
prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 20 minutes
serves four

ingredients:

• 8 oz dreamfields penne rigate
• 16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (either four small or two large)
• 2 oz julienne cut sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 2 oz crumbled goat cheese
• 8 oz chicken broth
• 8 oz asparagus, chopped small
• 4 oz jarred basil pesto
• 4 oz shredded parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper, to taste

directions:

1. cook pasta according to package directions.
2. heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or coat with a bit of oil.
3. butterfly chicken breasts and fill with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese, distributing evenly among the number of breasts you are using. use toothpicks to secure breasts shut.
4. season outside of breasts with salt and pepper.
5. sear each side of the chicken breasts in the skillet for about three minutes per side.
6. pour broth into skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. steam chicken until cooked through.
7. steam asparagus.
8. in a bowl, combine cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, pesto, and parmesan.
9. serve a portion of pasta alongside a stuffed chicken breast. enjoy!

step-by-step photo directions:

cook pasta according to package directions.

heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or coat with a bit of oil.

butterfly chicken breasts and fill with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. use toothpicks to secure breasts shut. we had two BIG chicken breast halves, so i filled each with an ounce of goat cheese and tomatoes.

season outside of breasts with salt and pepper.

sear each side of the chicken breasts in the skillet for about three minutes per side.

pour broth into skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. steam chicken until cooked through.

steam asparagus.

in a bowl, combine cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, pesto, and parmesan.

 
serve a portion of pasta alongside a stuffed chicken breast. enjoy!

we have stuffed chicken often in our house, but this is actually the first time we have paired it with pasta! it is such a fresh, flavorful meal. it’s perfect for a warm summer night, and it is an added bonus that it doesn’t take long to make.

fox definitely thought it was delicious!

i love dreamfields pasta because it tastes just like regular pasta, but it is higher in protein & fiber. that means it is more filling as well as more nutritious. it has quickly become our favorite pasta brand and we eat it at least once a week—not because i am their ambassador, but because we love it!

so, now the part where i need your help! starting today, you can vote for my recipe every day for the next week. like i mentioned above, if my recipe wins, $1000 will be donated to the utah food bank. plus, every time you vote, you will be entered to win a dreamfields family pack of pasta AND the chance to donate $1000 to the food bank of your choice. win-win!

go HERE to vote, and please spread the word!!

to learn more about how YOU can help with the hunger problem in america, check out this link.

thanks, guys!

xo. janetha g.

this is a sponsored post on behalf of dreamfields pasta. i am on the dream team as a dreamfields pasta ambassador. all opinions, as always, are my own.