RECIPE | Linguine with Tomato, Mushroom, & Chicken

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It has taken me a really long time to figure out a fool-proof recipe for pasta that I can whip up in a pinch. Trust me. I've always been a fan of pastas with cream sauces so I've tried to make one that actually tastes good for who knows how long. I've made pasta where the sauce was too thick, too runny, too bland, almost sweet tasting, and sometimes even with a grainy texture. That's when I realized the cream sauces were too complicated for me and I gave up on that.  Moving on!

I started using pasta water to make the sauce which is definitely healthier and lighter.  Pasta water is exactly what it sounds like, water you cooked the pasta in.  I like using this water specifically because the starches that get released while you cook the pasta help to thicken the sauce later on.  In this recipe, I do like to add in a splash of milk because it gives me that little bit of creaminess that I like.

Make note that this recipe serves only 1 or 2 people.  I tend to only cook for myself so I like recipes where I don't make too much and end up tossing it in the trash. Feel free to double/triple/quadruple/centuple this recipe if you are serving more people. This recipe is really flexible. You can really add or take out whatever you want to suit your own tastes. Eeesh I've been rambling. Let's get to the recipe! P.S. Excuse the iPhone photo...

Ingredients:
-linguine, or pasta of choice
-1 cup of pasta water
-about half a chicken breast, 1/2 inch cubes
-1/4 cup of onion, 1/4 inch cubes
-1 clove of garlic, minced
-5 grape tomatoes, halved
-5 button mushrooms, quartered
-1 tsp of milk or cream
-2 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan
-salt & pepper
-baby arugula (optional)


Recipe:
- Cook the linguine based on the instructions provided on its packaging in salted boiling water.
Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water
- Dry the chicken with paper towels and season with salt and paper
- Sauté the chicken with olive oil until golden brown and fully cooked.  Set aside
- Cook the onion in the same pan with olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes)
- Add the garlic, and cook for another minute
- Add the grape tomatoes and button mushrooms and cook until tomatoes begin to soften
- Add the pasta water and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken slightly
- Add the cooked chicken, milk (or cream), and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Add the pasta and toss well to coat each strand in the sauce
- Plate the pasta and top with fresh baby arugula and freshly grated parmesan