More Invisible Food!

We're all headed to Fillmore tomorrow morning to visit Wah-Wah and Papa (grandma & grandpa for those of you who don't speak Ella), and I had to make dinner with a few odds & ends. There's definitely a trend of cheesy pasta dishes these days, mostly because "noo-noos" are some of Ella's favorite foods so I know they're generally a safe bet. This recipe uses a basic bechamel sauce, which is really easy to adapt to your particular taste. I'm sure you could substitute whatever veggies you have on hand (carrots, cut into small cubes, cauliflower, etc.), and the quantities below are just suggestions - I'm sure I had less than a cup of asparagus. The chicken is optional (I added it to give Ella a bit of protein), but this is a great way to use up leftover chicken - shredded would work just as well as grilled & cubed. I pounded the chicken breast until it was relatively thin so it would cook quickly and not hold up the meal. Although I didn't have any on hand, a bit of chopped parsley would be nice stirred in right at the end. Enjoy!

Creamy Pasta with Spring Vegetables & Grilled Chicken

1 chicken breast, grilled & cut into cubes
1 lb package dried pasta, whatever shape you have on hand
1-2 cups broccoli florets
1-2 cups asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
1 10 oz package frozen peas
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed (or minced, whatever works best for you)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream (this is totally optional)
3-4 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 tsp lemon zest*
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or grana padano
salt & pepper, to taste

Bring large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set timer for 2 minutes less than pasta cook time and add pasta to water. Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and stir in flour. Cook butter/flour mixture for about one minute, stirring, to get rid of starchy flavor. Stir in milk, working flour clumps out as you stir. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, until sauce thickens considerably. Stir in cream cheese until it melts, then add cream and lemon zest and remove from heat.

When pasta is about 2 minutes from done, add broccoli & asparagus to pot. Cook for about a minute and a half, then stir in frozen peas. Test pasta for doneness, and reserve about a cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta & veggies and return to pot. Stir in bechamel sauce, adding enough reserved pasta water to thin the sauce to desired consistency. Stir in shredded parmesan or grana padano and salt/pepper to taste. Bon appetit!

*Lemon zest isn't critical, but it does add a nice brightness. I always zest any lemon I'm using for juice and keep the zest in a plastic bag in the freezer. Then I have it on hand when I need it and don't have to buy a lemon just for a tsp of zest.