Toasted Pine Nut Pasta

To be honest, I usually lean more towards tomato-based sauces when preparing pasta dishes but this Toasted Pine Nut Pasta dish has the perfect blend of pine nuts and cheeses. The toasted pine nuts give it a great nutty flavor while the different cheeses help to create an aromatic and savory dish. The combination of the two really kicks the flavor up a notch and will have you going back for more...or looking forward to leftovers!



Toasted Pine Nut Pasta



Ingredients:

1 lb dried Fettuccine
2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Blue cheese (optional)
Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain well.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, chicken and garlic to the pan. Brown and cook chicken thoroughly. Remove to a plate and slice.
In a separate skillet, add two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and pine nuts and toss/saute until pine nuts are toasted. Remove from skillet.
In a bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, Parmesan cheese and Blue cheese (optional). Toss to coat pasta.