Phew, we made it back from our trip and now I have a quick/simple/easy/amazingly good pasta recipe for your weeknight/just got back from vacation needs. It’s a simple Pesto Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken and Cherry Tomato Confit. Long name but simple recipe because, I. Am. Flat. Exhausted! But, the good news is that I had an amazing time and there will be pictures and a post coming your way soon!
But for now it’s all laundry, planning, catch-up, and the general melancholy that sets in when you come back from vacation. This is why I need simple recipes like Pesto Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken and Cherry Tomato Confit to get me through it all. And by simple, I mean knock out flavors and total comfort, which is definitely what I’m craving right now. The need for quality ingredients and easy clean up is…. massively desired.
This recipe is summer comfort food to the max. And to be fair, the amount of eating we did on the trip leaves us feeling a little worse for wear and has caused many discussions about diet and exercise. We are in need of both and ASAP. However, that doesn’t mean that with the right portions we can’t have a nice bowl of comforting pasta! I mean, please.
This recipe just calls for whatever pre-made pesto you prefer. I get whatever looks the brightest green in the store that day. However, if you do want to make your own pesto, I highly recommend my recipe for Fresh Pea and Pistachio Pesto! It is so good, and when I have time, I’ll be making it for you on my Instagram stories! Because we all need more green in our life, amiright?
Way back in the day when I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, (just past my 8 month anniversary!) the doctors were hesitant to prescribe mealtime insulin as they hadn’t yet ruled out onset diabetes (LADA or Type 1.5) and such a prescription might have caused me to overdose. We found out that that it was just the good ole’ regular Type 1. In that time period I was basically eating veggies and meat… all…. Day…. Long. One of my favorite dinners was a chicken breast with tomato confit and balsamic reduction. Yes. It saved me from feeling deprived because it is flat delish.
But now that I can eat pasta every once and a while, (thank you, Humalog!) I made that same confit and placed it ever so delicately atop pesto pasta goodness. Because, being back from vacation with piles of laundry and an exorbitant amount of work to be done kind of calls for pasta. The diet starts… tomorrow.
In any case, we are going to be eating better and exercising more. I have resolved to set a timer at my desk for every hour to remind myself to take a quick walk around the building. I have a little 15-minute morning work-out routine, and Daniel and I are planning on taking a long walk after dinner. This coupled with eating more fruits and veggies and saying “no” to Friday night pizza. (we still love you, pizza, it’s not you, it’s me).
Anyway, I can’t wait to talk to you soon about my fun vacation with lots of pictures! Spoiler alert: The trip started out by us almost dying five times in LAX and ended with me getting a massive allergic reaction to the SPF I was wearing. Why can’t I just be normal like everyone else?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s truly wonderful and about 1000 other things that I can’t think of because the rash on my neck itches. BYEEEEEE!
Pesto Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken and Cherry Tomato Confit
Try out this stunning recipe for Pesto Pasta with Lemon Garlic Chicken and Cherry Tomato Confit. It turns out great every time!
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
|| Lemon Garlic Chicken ||
2 large chicken breasts
2 large lemons, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
|| Cherry Tomato Confit ||
2 pounds heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 cup olive oil
1 bundle fresh thyme
6 garlic cloves (or more!)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
|| Pesto Pasta ||
1 pound of your favorite pasta
1 jar of your favorite pesto
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To marinate the chicken, place in a zip lock bag and add lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Place in the fridge for an hour.
For the cherry tomato confit, place cherry tomatoes, olive oil, thyme, garlic cloves lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in a dutch oven and cover with the lid. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Grill the chicken or bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 45 minutes.
Cook pasta according to package directions and toss with pesto. Serve with chicken.
