Happy Thursday my friends!
I am SO loving our CHATS lately. Thank you for your help regarding my Today Show segment coming up in May! The recent live Q&A was also so much fun, and I got especially emotional seeing how many of you jumped into help one of our other subscribers here figure out what to cook for an upcoming gathering and calm her nerves! I adore this community so much already, and we’re just getting started!
Before we dive into more about this week’s recipe - here’s a tip I want to leave here as the recipes begin to build and we’re nearing our 2-month mark together on Substack. Make this this weekend. Don’t wait.
Because you’re getting another dinner recipe next Thursday, and your binder is starting to fill up with all the recipes published here. So you may forget to try it, and just like that no-thank-you-bite revelation Kez had in the video above - you could be missing out on something fabulous!
After the giant success of my Instant Pot Meatball Pasta (dubbed Magic Meatball Pasta by you), and the Vodka Beef Instant Pot pasta in Healthy in a Hurry (page 121), I knew I needed to create another for you.
And for me. Another easy dinner for busy baseball nights, when we walk in the door at 7 pm and need to eat quickly and get the kids to bed.
These are my 6-o’clock scramble meals. The types of meals I may already have everything I need for, that I know my family will eat without complaint, and will help avoid a Chipotle pickup or the In-n-out drive-thru.
One bite to make a believer
It was so fun having my little sous chef with me for this recipe. Even though she lost interest halfway through, and would have preferred to make a cake. Kez may say the sauce looks “gross” while we cook together in the kitchen, but she proved herself wrong at first bite and went on to have 2 big bowls!
When the kids were little, we always enforced the “no thank you bite” for this reason. I called it the “Sam I Am” bite.
I could oftentimes be heard rebutting a toddler’s “I don’t like it” with
“Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say!”
I’m a firm believer that we eat with our eyes first (why there is a photo for each and every recipe in my cookbooks!), but sometimes our eyes deceive us. And if we don’t try it, we could be missing out on something glorious. Asher used to say no to ice cream. I made him try a bite of my homemade chocolate ice cream one day when he was little, and of course he loved it. Imagine how many years he would have been deprived. 😆
No Pesto? No Problem!
If pesto, or even the pasta aren’t in your dietary repertoire for allergies or intolerances, however, please don’t try a bite. And of course, as always here on Substack only, I’ve given an abundance of subs and tips for each ingredient below the recipe.
I’m also giving you a stovetop modification! But please buy an instant pot. It’s the second most used countertop appliance in my kitchen. My blender wins but that’s just because my kids are in their smoothie era.
If you are a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription - for new recipes delivered to your inbox every Thursday and to unlock all recipe archives, all of my videos, personal essays, and the community here. And when you’re a paid subscriber - all of my content is free of ads or sponsors.
10-Minutes + One-pot = Magic
Any gluten-free, cassava, or chick-pea pasta will yield you this magic ten-minute (or less for cassava!!) cook time. We cook the chicken, potatoes, and the pasta all together - no draining required!
However, if you can’t tolerate these pastas, I have a few veggie subs for you below. These substitutions will have a longer cooking time, but worth every extra minute!
xo
Danielle
Crispy Chicken with Pesto, Charred Romanesco, and Potatoes (Healthy in a Hurry, p. 173)
Spiralized Zucchini Pesto Pasta with Peas and Pancetta
The Women by Kristin Hannah - I devoured this book. "The Women" is a poignant and powerful narrative about female nurses in the Vietnam War era, grappling with PTSD and societal challenges upon their return. Through the eyes of Lt. Frankie McGrath, readers witness a heartbreaking but hopeful journey filled with resilience and adversity. Kristin Hannah's masterful storytelling sheds light on this often-overlooked aspect of history, offering readers a glimpse into something we may not have all learned in school. And it just so happened that we visited Coronado Island for the day during our recent trip to San Diego for spring break, so the book completely came alive in my mind.
The second part of the book particularly struck a chord with me, especially its portrayal of the loss of a baby and the aftermath emotionally and mentally, something I know intimately. Frankie became like a friend in my mind, one that I wanted to hug and sit in the grief with, and I was left yearning for an update on her life in the present day. Kristin Hannah may very well be my favorite author of all time, and while I don't think this was her best book that she's written (the Nightingale is going to be hard to top), I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in it.
Polka Dot Apron - I love a colorful apron! They make great gifts but also bring so much joy to making a meal. They have so many different prints and colors and they make a great gift, too!
Essential Tank Tops - These are my favorite workout tanks to pair with my favorite morning boot camps. Or a walk around the block! I love that they stay form-fitting throughout the day and are great at keeping me cool during a hard workout. They’re crazy soft, and they’re a fraction of the cost of some of the big athletic brands.
Favorite Sweet Greens Bowl - I got lots of DMs asking what my Sweet Green order was that I posted over the weekend. So here it is: I love the Chicken Avocado Ranch Bowl with the following substitutions: no Green Goddess dressing and no tortilla chips. Sub spicy cashew dress and add sweet potatoes!
Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Penne
Servings: 4 to 6
See below for tons of substitutions and shortcuts, stove top cooking method, and to print a PDF for your files!
