When-In-Doubt Pasta In White Sauce

There are days when I have cooker’s block! Yes, I just made that term up. It’s when I have no idea what to cook, nothing in my recipe book, folder, and file appeals to me, and there isn't enough time to browse through random recipes online. This is when I turn to pasta.

My husband is not a big fan of pastas. He’s lactose-intolerant and finding tasty pasta recipes without cheese in them is close to impossible. So, I usually come up with my own recipes, and they are generally in a white sauce. For this recipe I've used Penne, but I prefer Farfella (the bow-tie looking one). Here is what I made for dinner Friday night.

Pasta in White Sauce

8oz (About 200gms) Penne

1 (full) chicken breast, cut into approximate 2 X 2 inch chunks

1 zuchinni, cut into chunks

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

1 bunch green onions, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1 headed tsp dried thyme

1 heaped tsp dried marjoram

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Chili Flakes (optional)

1 cup (shredded) cheddar cheese (optional)

1 cup milk

1 tbs flour

Little olive oil

In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, with a little salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Once it’s at a rolling boil, put in the pasta and cook till almost al dente. Switch off and keep. The hot water will continue to cook the pasta until it cools down, which is why you must switch it off before it is fully cooked. 

In a bowl, mix together the flour and milk, and set aside. In another bowl, marinate the chicken pieces with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, put in the chopped pepper and green onion. Fry it a little, till the green onion starts to brown and the pepper starts to soften. Then add the garlic and cook till it browns. Add the herbs, chili flakes, salt, and pepper and cook for about 30 seconds. If it starts to stick or burn, use a little water from the boiled pasta. Next put in the chicken and allow it to brown slightly. When the chicken is half cooked add the zucchini. Now add the milk mixture and let it heat up and start to thicken. Add cheese if you wish to. Bring the sauce up to the consistency you like. Switch off the stove. Drain the pasta and mix it in with the chicken in white sauce. Serve hot with a salad. If you’re not lactose-intolerant, sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Note:

*The pasta should have a generaous coating of white sauce, it should not be floating in it.

*I keep the skin on the zucchini, cut of the ends, slice it into quarters length wise, then cut it about ½ an inch thick. The zucchini pieces should be about ½ the size of the raw chicken pieces.

*I use lactose-free fat-free milk, but using whole milk will make it a lot creamier and tastier.