Friday, May 23, 2008

Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

"This dish is as good as the best pasta I've had at a restaurant. I am so glad I tried it. I found it on allrecipes.com. I took the suggestions of some of the users and changed the amount of cheese and garlic. The exact recipe I used is here"

INGREDIENTS
2 cups heavy cream
1 cube chicken bouillon
6 oz (1 1/2 cups) Shredded Asiago Cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta prepared as directed on box
3/4 cup bacon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped green onion
1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook 2 cups cream until just bubbling. Watch carefully, to ensure that it doesn't boil over. Stir in bouillon and Asiago cheese. Stir with a whisk until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate for later use.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute red onion until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and cooked bacon, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, chicken and 1 cup cream. Cook, stirring, until cream is heated through. Add Asiago cream sauce, and heat through. Toss with cooked pasta until evenly coated.


Tips:

You can cut the cooking time down quite a bit if you do the following:

-Pre-grill the chicken, have someone grill it while you're doing the rest or use pre-cooked grilled chicken (I basted mine with italian dressing)

-Use pre-cooked bacon and saute it with the red onions instead of putting it in microwave (like it says on the box)

-Make the sauce, boil the noodles and saute the onions at the same time (it helps to have the onions, bacon and tomatos pre-cut before you start.
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-You can also use part milk and part cream to cut down on fat and richness. I used two cups cream and 1 cup skim milk.

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